Storage Options For Renters In London

There are many different storage options for renters in London, including self-storage units or storage by-the-box.

Space is expensive when you rent in London. An extra bedroom might solve the problem of the suitcases under your bed and the boxes stacked on top of the wardrobe, but it’s an expensive way to gain a bit more storage.

External storage can make more sense if you don’t actually need a bigger home. You might be between flats for three weeks, heading abroad for six months, moving out of a flatshare or just trying to reclaim some floor space.

Your main options are self-storage, storage by the box, storing things with friends or family, or finding more space at home. Which one works for you depends on how much you have, how long you need to store it and how often you want access to it.

With The Box Co., storage starts from £3.56 per box per month. Your boxes are collected from your door, stored for you and returned when you need them, so you don’t need to hire a van or get everything across London yourself.

What Are The Best Storage Options For Renters In London?

The main storage options for London renters are self-storage units, storage by the box, making better use of the space you already have or asking friends and family to keep things for you.

The right choice mostly comes down to how much you’re storing and how often you’ll want it back.

Storage By The Box

Storage by the box works well if you have boxes, suitcases, clothes, books and other things you don’t use every day.

Instead of paying for a whole storage unit, you pay according to how much you send into storage. With The Box Co., prices start from £3.56 per box per month.

Your boxes are also collected from your address and returned when you need them. For a London renter without a car, that can make a big difference. You don’t need to work out how to get six boxes across the city or spend a Saturday going backwards and forwards to a storage facility.

Self-Storage Units

A self-storage unit can make more sense if you have a lot to store or want to be able to visit your things regularly.

You’ll usually choose a unit based on how much space you need and arrange transport there yourself. If you have a car or van and want frequent direct access, that might suit you better than collection-based storage.

Making More Space At Home

Not every lack-of-space problem needs external storage.

Under-bed boxes, vacuum bags, extra shelving and better cupboard organisation can go a surprisingly long way in a small flat. If you’re mostly trying to find somewhere for clothes, bedding or a couple of suitcases, it’s worth seeing what you can do with the space you already have first.

Storing With Friends Or Family

If someone has a spare loft, garage or bedroom, asking them to keep a few things can cost you nothing.

The trade-off is access. Leaving three boxes at your parents’ house works well until you realise the winter coat you need is 150 miles away. It’s usually better suited to things you know you won’t need for a while.

How Much Does It Cost To Rent Storage In London?

The cost of storage in London depends on how much you need to store and the type of storage you choose. Self-storage is usually priced according to the size of the unit, while storage by the box means you pay according to the number of boxes you store.

With The Box Co., storage starts from £3.56 per box per month.

That difference matters if you’re a renter with relatively little to put away. Six boxes of winter clothes, books and kitchen equipment don’t necessarily justify paying for an entire storage unit.

If you’re storing most of the contents of a flat, including beds, sofas and other large furniture, it’s worth comparing larger storage options instead. The Box Co. also offers furniture storage if you need bigger items collected.

For a closer look at prices, our guide to how much storage costs per month in London explains what you’re likely to pay and what affects the price.

Can You Rent Storage In London For Just A Few Weeks?

Yes, short-term storage can be used if you only need somewhere for your things for a few weeks. It can be useful when there’s a gap between London tenancies, you’re staying somewhere temporarily or your moving dates change at the last minute.

A short gap between rentals can create a surprisingly awkward problem. Your old tenancy might finish on Friday, while you don’t collect the keys to your new flat until the following Wednesday.

Finding somewhere to sleep for five nights is one thing. Finding somewhere for eight boxes, two suitcases and everything else from your room is another.

Before booking storage for a few weeks, check how the company charges and whether you need to commit to a fixed period. If there’s a chance three weeks could become six, you don’t want your storage arrangement to create another deadline to worry about.

If you already know you’ll need somewhere for your things for a few months or longer, our long-term storage page explains the options.

Storage Between London Tenancies

Storage can bridge the gap if one tenancy ends before another begins.

Instead of moving everything to a friend’s flat, taking it back to your parents’ house or paying for overlapping tenancies purely to give yourself somewhere for your things, you can have them collected and stored until the new place is ready.

This can also help when the dates change. London moves don’t always happen neatly on the final day of one tenancy and the first day of another, especially if you’re coordinating landlords, letting agents, cleaners and removals at the same time.

Student Storage Between Terms

Students often run into the same problem at the end of a tenancy.

If you’re leaving London for the summer and returning for the next academic year, taking everything home and bringing it all back a few months later can mean doing the same move twice.

Student storage in London gives you somewhere to leave boxes and other items between accommodation instead.

Where Can You Store Your Things While Travelling?

If you’re giving up your London flat to travel, putting your things into storage gives you somewhere to keep what you want to come back to without keeping a tenancy running purely for storage.

This can work well if you’re travelling for a few months, spending part of the year abroad or working remotely from somewhere else.

It also saves you from distributing your things around various friends’ flats before you leave. Clothes at one person’s house, books at another and a suitcase at your parents’ might be manageable for a month, but it gets less appealing when you don’t know exactly when you’ll be back.

Before choosing storage while travelling, check how you’ll get your things into storage, whether you need to give a fixed end date and how you arrange their return.

With The Box Co., your items can be collected before you leave and returned when you need them again.

Is It Cheaper To Rent Storage Or Move To A Bigger London Flat?

If the only reason you’re considering a bigger flat is storage space, it’s worth comparing the extra rent with what you’d actually spend on external storage.

A bigger home obviously gives you more than another cupboard. If you genuinely need another bedroom or more living space, storage isn’t going to solve that.

But the calculation looks different if you’re otherwise happy with your flat and the problem is six boxes, two suitcases, winter coats and sports equipment that you barely touch for half the year. Paying for external storage can make more sense than moving purely to gain somewhere to put them.

There’s also the cost of moving itself to think about. A new tenancy can mean removals, deposits and other expenses alongside the higher monthly rent. Our guide to the average cost of moving house covers some of the costs worth allowing for if you are considering a move.

Do You Need A Car Or Van To Use Storage In London?

You don’t necessarily need a car or van to use storage in London. Collection-based storage means your things can be picked up from your address rather than you transporting everything to a storage facility yourself. That’s a useful distinction in London.

A storage unit that looks reasonably close on a map can be much less appealing when you have four heavy boxes and no car. Even driving can turn into a bigger job once you factor in traffic, parking and loading everything at both ends.

With The Box Co., items are collected from your door and taken into storage for you. When you need them again, they can be returned rather than you travelling to the storage facility.

If you’re moving rather than just clearing space, you can also combine storage with removals in London, so you don’t have to organise the two jobs separately.

How Does Storage By The Box Work?

Storage by the box means you pay to store individual boxes rather than renting a fixed-size storage unit.

With The Box Co., you pack the things you want to store and book a collection. Your boxes are collected from your address and taken into storage.

When you want them back, you arrange for them to be returned to you.

It works best for things you don’t need every day. Seasonal clothes, books, spare kitchen equipment, bedding and suitcases are obvious examples. If you need to get something out of storage every few days, a traditional self-storage unit that you can visit yourself may suit you better.

If you’re unsure how much you actually have to store, The Box Co.’s storage calculator can help you work it out before you book anything.

 

Affordable Storage For Renters In London 

 

If you’re renting in London and need some extra space, we can help. At The Box Co., we’re committed to finding you affordable, flexible storage - whether you’re looking for storage between moves or just looking to maximise space in your London flat. 

With storage by-the-box from just £3.56 per box per month, with transport and up to £100 insurance included per box, there’s really no better storage option for renters in London.

Our quick turnaround time, flexible contracts and full transparency are designed to make storing your items as easy as possible.

Whatever your storage needs, our friendly team of storage experts are here to find you the best solution.

Contact us today to get started!