Plenty of Central London moves have a gap in the middle. A sale completes three weeks before the purchase, one tenancy ends on the last Friday and the next starts on the fifteenth, a flat is being gutted and rewired. The furniture has to live somewhere for a while. We do not own a warehouse and we do not pretend to. What we do is help you pick the right self storage unit, load it so it is still usable in six months, and bring everything back out when the new place is ready.
We move it, the facility stores it
Self storage is a contract between you and the facility. You rent the unit, you pay them the rent and the deposit, you fit the padlock and you keep the key. The facility runs the building, the security, the access hours and the insurance requirement. Nothing about that arrangement passes through us, which is the reason you can visit your unit on a Sunday afternoon without asking our permission.
Our part is everything either side of that. Advice on where to store and how much space to rent before you sign anything, wrapping the furniture for months in a unit rather than an hour in a van, loading the unit in an order that makes sense, and a written list of what went in. Then the return leg, to the new address, whenever you are ready for it.
Where the storage actually is
There is very little self storage inside the Congestion Charge zone, because the land is worth too much to fill with lock-ups. Most of the facilities serving central addresses sit a few miles out on older industrial land, and the handful closest to the centre charge the most per square foot for the convenience.
For a few weeks between two dates, the nearest facility is usually the right call. For anything stored longer than a couple of months, a facility further out is often cheaper overall, and because we price the move as one job rather than by the mile, the extra distance changes our figure less than you might expect. Tell us how long you think you need and we will say which way it falls.
When storage is the answer, and when it is not
The common reasons are the ones you would guess. A chain where the sale and the purchase do not complete on the same day. A gap between two tenancies, which in London is almost built in, since leases end at the month end and new ones start whenever the flat was last let. A renovation where the rooms have to be empty for the builders. Students going home for the summer with a room in halls that has to be cleared. A year abroad with a flat let out furnished and your own things boxed.
The case against is cost over time. Paying rent for two years on a sofa that cost less than one year of that rent is a poor trade, and we will say so if that is what the list looks like. Selling or clearing what will not come out of storage is often the better plan, and it makes the unit smaller.
Choosing the size of unit
As a rough guide, the contents of one room or a studio fit 25 to 35 square feet, a one bedroom flat 50 to 75, a two bedroom flat around 100, and a three bedroom house 150 or more. Those figures assume the unit is packed to its full height, which most people do not manage on their own, and a unit that is too small means renting a second one on the day.
Facilities price per square foot per week and most advertise an introductory discount for the first few weeks. Check what the rent becomes once that ends, because on a long stay the full rate is the number that matters. Send us a list or a few photographs before you book the unit and we will tell you what size we would take.
Loading a unit so you can still use it
The order matters more than people think. Heavy furniture goes at the back and on the floor, boxes stack on top of the hard pieces rather than on the sofa, and anything you might need before the return leg goes by the door. If you expect to visit, we leave a narrow aisle down one side, which costs a little space and saves emptying half the unit to find the winter coats.
Wrapping is the other half of it. Mattresses go into sealed bags, upholstery into covers, wooden pieces get corner protection, and nothing is pushed flat against a wall where condensation can collect. Fridges and freezers go in defrosted, dry, and with the door wedged open. It takes longer at the loading end and it is the difference between furniture that comes out as it went in and furniture that does not.
What a facility will not accept
Every facility publishes its own list and they are broadly the same: nothing perishable, nothing flammable, no gas bottles, fuel or paint in quantity, nothing alive and nothing illegal. Most also expect the contents to be insured, either through a policy the facility sells or through your own home contents cover if it extends to goods in storage, and they will ask which before you move in.
We check the list with you before the day, because an item refused at the facility gate has to go back on the van and back to wherever it came from.
Who this is for
Anyone whose move has a gap in the middle: a chain that does not line up, two tenancies that do not meet, a renovation, a summer between terms, or a spell abroad.
What is included
- Advice on the facility and the unit size before you sign anything
- Wrapping and bagging suited to months in a unit rather than an hour in a van
- Loading the unit heavy first, with the things you will need nearest the door
- An aisle left down one side where you expect to visit
- A written list of what went into the unit
- Split loads, with some things to the new address and the rest into storage in one job
- The return leg from storage to your new address, booked now or later
- Congestion Charge, ULEZ, fuel and mileage inside the quoted figure
What is not included
Stated plainly so nobody books the wrong thing.
- Storage on our own premises or in our own containers, since we do not run a warehouse
- The facility rent, deposit, padlock and any insurance they require, which you pay the facility
- Holding the key to your unit, which stays with you
- Anything the facility prohibits, including perishables, flammables and gas bottles
Access and what to plan for
The facility is usually the harder end. Most have a covered loading bay with a height limit, set access hours that are shorter at weekends, and a PIN or card that belongs to the account holder. Upper floor units mean a goods lift and a trolley run down a corridor, which takes noticeably longer than a drive-up unit on the ground floor. Someone with authority to open the unit has to be there, or the facility has to have been told in writing who may open it on your behalf. We confirm all of that with them before the day.
Van and crew
The vehicle is sized to the volume in the usual way, a transit for a room and a Luton for a flat. What changes on a storage job is the facility loading bay, which is often covered and height limited. We check the stated clearance and bring a vehicle that fits under it rather than parking on the road and trolleying twice the distance.
What we bring
- Mattress bags
- Sofa and upholstery covers
- Moving blankets and stretch wrap
- Corner protection for wooden pieces
- Wardrobe boxes
- Labels and an inventory sheet
- Furniture trolley and sack truck
What it costs
Where in that band you land is set by these.
- How much is going into storage
- The floor and the access at your address
- Whether the unit is drive-up or upstairs
- The facility loading bay and its height limit
- Whether part of the load goes to a new address on the same day
- Whether both legs are booked together
How much notice we need
The move into storage needs the same notice as any move of that size, usually a few days for a flat and a week or two for a house. Book the unit at the same time, because the nearest facilities to the centre fill up at the month end and in the summer. For the return leg we can hold an approximate date and firm it up once your completion or your new tenancy is confirmed.
How to book
- Tell us both dates if you know them, and roughly how long the gap is
- Send a list or photographs so we can suggest a unit size
- Book the unit with the facility and send us its address and access rules
- We quote one figure for the move in, and for the move out if the date is known
- We wrap, load the unit and give you the list of what went in
- When the new place is ready, we collect from the unit and deliver
What tends to go wrong
Three things we see repeatedly on this kind of job, all of them avoidable with a bit of notice.
Choosing a facility on the introductory rate
The first few weeks are often discounted heavily. On a stay of six months or more, compare the full weekly rate instead, because that is what you will be paying for most of it.
Renting a unit that is too small
People measure their furniture and forget the boxes. Running out of space with a third of the van still loaded means a second unit, often on another floor, at the end of a long day.
Burying the things you need
The passports, the winter clothes and the tax papers end up behind the wardrobe. Put anything you might want before the return leg in marked boxes, and tell us so they go by the door.
We hold goods in transit and public liability insurance, and we are a registered waste carrier for the clearance work. Certificates go to your building management directly where they ask for them. Full detail is on the about page.
Moving and Storage: common questions
Do you have your own storage warehouse?
No. We move your things into a self storage facility and back out again, and you rent the unit from the facility directly. That means you hold the key and can visit it without going through us. If you want a recommendation, tell us roughly where you are moving from and to, and how long for.
How much does moving into storage cost?
Our part is priced like any other move of the same size: a one bedroom flat into storage costs £420 to £850 including VAT, and a two bedroom flat £680 to £1,400. The unit rent is separate and paid to the facility. Where the return leg date is known when you book, we quote both legs together.
What size storage unit do I need?
Roughly 25 to 35 square feet for a room or a studio, 50 to 75 for a one bedroom flat, around 100 for a two bedroom flat and 150 or more for a three bedroom house. That assumes the unit is packed to full height. Send us a list or some photographs before you book it and we will give you our own estimate.
Can some things go to my new address and the rest into storage?
Yes, and it is one of the most common ways we do it, particularly when someone is moving into a smaller flat while they decide what to keep. Mark what is going where before we arrive and it is one job with two drops rather than two bookings.
Can you collect my things from storage if I am abroad?
Usually, as long as the facility has been told in writing that we may open the unit on your behalf, and has a way to let us in. Most have a process for authorising someone else. Sort it with them before you leave rather than from another time zone.
Is my furniture insured while it is in storage?
That is between you and the facility. Most require contents to be insured, either through a policy they sell or through your own home contents cover if it extends to goods in storage. Check which applies before the move in, because the facility will ask.
How is this different from your packing and storage runs page?
That page is about the packing and the van runs themselves. This one is about the storage: where the units are, what size to rent, how to load one and what the facility expects from you. Most people who need one need both.
Related services
- Packing and Storage Runs in Central LondonFull or part packing, plus moves into and out of self storage in both directions.
- House Removals in Central LondonWhole house moves with the wrapping, the parking and the access planned in advance.
- Student Moves in Central LondonHalls changeovers and shared house moves, booked around the accommodation office.
- See all 14 services →
Moving and storage across Central London
We cover all 46 Central London areas. Each area page has the parking and access detail specific to it.
Get a fixed price for moving and storage in Central London