You might want to move some stuff out of your house for several reasons. You could want to remodel your house, clear some space for house guests or simply just declutter your house. When you decide to do this, you will face a dilemma commonly faced by everyone in this situation. Which storage company should you go for? In this article, we will help you to find out whether Public Storage is the right choice for your storing needs
.Public Storage was established in 1972 and since then they have provided their customers with excellent storage services. They have become wildly popular in the US because of which you can find a Public Storage location absolutely anywhere. The question remains, should you turn to them for your storage needs? Let us tell you all about what to expect when you are renting out a storage unit from Public Storage.
How does Renting a Storage Unit from Public Storage Work?
Public Storage has made the process of renting a unit from them fairly simple. The first thing you have to do is to search for a Public Storage facility located near you. The company has several locations across the country so you will find one near your house easily. Once that is done, find out about the sizes of units that are available at that facility. Once you find the right size of unit for yourself, you can simply make a reservation without having to pay any fees.
The company allows you to make reservations either online or in-person at the company facility. After that, you can just move your stuff into the storage unit and store it there for as long as you want. You can end your rental agreement according to your preference and then move your stuff out of the unit.
What Services are Offered by Public Storage?
Public Storage is an industry leader and has a presence in about 39 states across the USA. They are also known internationally as they have some facilities in countries like the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and some other European countries as well. They provide their customers with a plethora of services. Let us have a look at the services that are offered by Public Storage.
Self-Storage Services: The company offers both indoor units and outdoor units for self-storage. While the indoor units are climate-controlled, the outdoor units resemble a garage and have drive-up access. The company offers several different sizes of units and anyone can avail of these services.
Business Storage Services: The company encourages business owners to rent out their storage units if they need to store their office supplies, equipment, documents, files, furniture, inventory, etc.
Vehicles Storage: Though indoor units accommodate cars; the company encourages their customers to rent out outdoor units for their vehicles. You can store any kind of vehicles like cars, motorcycles, boats, canoes, recreational vehicles, etc., inside a storage unit.
There are three types of storage options offered to the customers:
- Uncovered Storage: This is exactly like having a permanent space reserved to park your vehicles. The company does not offer any extra protection in this type of storage. It is the best option for you if you stay in places that do not experience weather extremities.
- Covered Storage: In this, the vehicle is still kept in an outdoor unit, however, the company ensures that it is protected in cases of weather extremities. Covered Storage is the best choice for the customers who stay in places that experience frequent snowfalls, strong winds, heavy rainfalls, etc.
- Enclosed Storage: An enclosed storage offers the most amount of protection to your vehicles because the vehicle is kept in an indoor unit. If you own a vehicle that is very expensive and one of a kind, Public Storage will ensure that it does not get damaged in any way by keeping it in enclosed storage space.
What Amenities are Offered by Public Storage?
1.Climate-Controlled Units: Your belongings like furniture, documents, clothes, objects that have a metal body, etc., might get damaged if they are stored in units that are excessively hot or cold. Humidity is like an open invitation for the growth of mold, rusting, and corrosion; and ultimately your stuff gets ruined. The company ensures that their indoor units are climate-controlled so that the temperature and the humidity remain at the appropriate levels and your objects remain in a tiptop shape.
2.Moving Supplies: If you need packaging and moving supplies for your storage process, you can directly buy them at the company location. In addition to this, the company provides you with hand-trucks and dollies free of cost when you are moving and putting your stuff in storage.
3.Security: The company facilities are enclosed with a fence. There is a single point of entry to each facility and there are electronic gates installed that can be opened using only certain codes. This ensures that people who have rented a unit are the only ones who can enter. Many facilities also have on-site managers to assist you with stuff. All the storage units are extremely clean and well lit. Thus, the company ensures that all your items remain safe while in storage.
4.Accessibility To Units: A majority of the locations let you access your units between 6 am to 9 pm throughout the week. Meanwhile, 9:30 am to 6 pm are the office hours of most of the facilities. If you aren’t available and you need someone else to access your units (family member, friend), you will have to make sure that you add their name as an authorized user in your account.
What Sizes of Storage Units are Available at Public Storage Facilities?
Public Storage facilities offer three types of units which are small, medium and large. There are a total of 7 sizes of units offered by them under these categories. You can choose to rent these units to store stuff from your house and use it for commercial purposes as well. The company also offers three sizes of units for vehicle storage. Let us look at the different sizes of units offered by Public Storage.
Small Storage Units:
There are two sizes available under this category namely 5’x5’ and 5’x10’.
5’ x 5’ x 8’ Storage Units:
Floor Space: 25 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 200 cu. ft.
Used for: Belongings from a small room or a big closet can be put in this unit. This unit is best suited for stuff like clothes, suitcases, holiday decorations, etc.
5’ x 10’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 50 sq. ft
Storage Space:400 cu. ft.
Used for: This unit can hold all the items for a medium sized-bedroom as it can be used to store several boxes and small pieces of furniture. This unit is perfect for college students who want to move their stuff out from a college dorm room.
Medium Storage Units:
There are two sizes available under this category namely 5’x15’ and 10’x10’.
5’ x 15’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 75 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 600 cu. ft.
Used for: This storage unit holds items from two average-sized rooms or from a large studio apartment. You can use it to store several boxes, a few pieces of furniture and some home appliances.
10’ x 10’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 100 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 1,800 cu. ft.
Used for: This unit is half the size of a one-car garage. These units can hold all the belongings from three average-sized rooms. This means that you can rent out this unit if you stay in a one-bedroom home or a two-bedroom apartment.
Large Storage Units:
There are three sizes available under this category namely 10’x15’ and 10’x20’, 10’x25’.
10’ x 15’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 150 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 1,200 cu. ft.
Used for: This unit can either be an indoor or an outdoor unit. An indoor unit can store an ample amount of stuff. This unit is perfect for you if you live in a two-bedroom home. If you opt for an outdoor unit, you can put a car inside this unit and some other items as well.
10’ x 20’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 200 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 1,600 cu. ft (approximately as the ceiling height tends to differ according to the location)
Used for: This storage unit resembles a one-car garage. It can hold all the items from a house with five rooms. You can use it to store all your household items as well as outdoor equipment.
10’ x 25’ x 8’ Storage Unit:
Floor Space: 250 sq. ft.
Storage Space: 2,000 cu. ft.
Used for: This unit is used by those who own oversized pieces of furniture and outdoor equipment like tractors, canoes, workout equipment, etc. This unit can be used to store all the items from a 4-bedroom home.
Vehicle Storage Units:
Public storage offers its customers three types of vehicle storage units. The units are either enclosed spaces, outdoor but uncovered units, and outdoor but covered spaces. If you own a car, small truck, motorcycles, etc., you can rent out a 20’ vehicle storage unit. If you own bigger vehicles like RVs, trailers, boats, etc., you will be able to rent out a 35’ storage unit. Lastly, if you own oversized large vehicles like big trucks, you will be able to rent out a 50’ vehicle storage unit.
Note: Apart from these sizes, many locations have some unique sizes to offer for their customers. Enquire about all the available sizes at your facility before you decide on a storage unit.
How much does Public Storage Units Cost?
Renting out a unit from Public Storage is one of the ways to store your stuff. Be it vehicle storage or storage for some household items, Public storage will assure you with great services at low prices.
The cost of renting out a storage unit mainly depends on the size of your unit. If you rent out a bigger unit, you will obviously have to pay more. Apart from this, the price tends to vary according to where the facility is located. Facilities in rural areas offer service at an extremely cheap rate. Finally, the rental fees for climate-controlled units are a tad bit more than those of standard storage units.
If you are planning to rent a standard storage unit, you will have to pay anywhere in the range of $25 – $350. On the other hand, climate-controlled storage units will cost you about $20 – $500 depending on the size and the location of the facility. Lastly, you will have to pay roughly $40 to $500 for vehicle storage units. Public Storage also has a lot of incentive offers and discounts in store for their customers.
The payment method has been made absolutely flexible so that you do not face any issues. You can make either an offline or online payment. You can use credit cards, cheques, and even cash to make your payments. You will also be able to make payments by mail or over the phone (866-444-4747). In addition to this, they also let you avail of their AutoPay feature where the rental fees automatically get deducted from your account and you don’t have to worry about forgetting to pay.
Does Public Storage Offer Insurance?
Public Storage recommends that you first confirm whether your items are covered by your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance. If they aren’t, you can always purchase additional insurance policies as Public Storage requires you to have all your objects (that are to be put in their storage units) to be insured.
Though Public Storage itself doesn’t sell insurance to its customers, they encourage all their customers to purchase insurance from Orange Door Insurance. Orange Door Insurance has created specific policies that will suit the needs of those who rent units from Public Storage.
What are the Benefits of choosing Public Storage?
1. Wide Availability:
Over 2,200 storage facilities in the US alone – need we say anything more about their wide reach? And this is spread across 39 states in the US, including Hawaii. So it goes without saying that finding them almost anywhere in the country should be a walk in the park. You will find a location near your house in most cases. If you stay in big cities and do not wish to visit the storage unit frequently, consider renting a Public Storage unit outside the city to save your money.
2. Variety of Sizes:
Public Storage offers a wide variety of sizes of units which makes it easier for their customers to find the right size of unit for themselves. Along with the standard sizes that are offered by most of the companies, a majority of their locations also provide their customers with more than 10 unique sizes of storage units. In addition to this, they also offer a lot of choices in terms of vehicle storage. Availability of units is a major issue in the USA, however, Public Storage stands out at all times. They always have the right size of unit for all their customers.
3. Lockers:
If you feel that a 5×5 unit is big for you and you don’t have enough stuff to store in a 5×5 unit, you can opt to rent a storage locker. These lockers have low ceilings and are available in some unique shapes. You can either rent a 3×4, 4×5, and 5×4 lockers to store a few things from your house. You will end up saving a lot of money in the long run if you rent out a storage locker instead of a storage unit.
4. Easy Reservation Process:
Public Storage lets you reserve a storage unit for yourself completely free of cost. You just have to choose a facility and give them your details. You can easily reserve your units online through their website, over the phone, and also in person by visiting the facility.
5. Discounts and Incentives:
Public Storage has numerous promotional offers and discounts that will bring down the price of renting a storage unit by a huge margin. Public Storage lets their customers rent out a unit at the cost of $1 for the first month. After a month, you have to pay the rental fee. But, you still get a 30% on the monthly rental fee. These offers will allow you to spend the least amount of money, especially if you need the unit for a short time. Public Storage also offers different kinds of discounts to the members of the military.
6. Secure Storage:
One thing you should know about Public Storage is that their storage units are extremely secure. They provide you with high-quality disk locks that can’t be broken by bolt cutters thus, the chances of burglaries are to their minimum. All their facilities are fenced and extremely well protected. They have installed electric gates with coded access. Each of their customers receives a code and you can enter the storage areas only and only if you have the codes.
Moreover, most of the facilities are under video surveillance at all times. The on-site managers also ensure that no strangers enter the storage areas. By taking these measures, the company ensures that all your items are safe and secure inside the storage units.
7.Protection from Damage:
All their indoor units are climate-controlled which means that your objects are not affected by the changing temperatures and the humidity in the air outside of the facility. If the stuff is stored in an environment that is excessively hot, cold, or humid, you will essentially be renting the space to bugs and rodents. Oh, and not to forget – MOLDS! To prevent your stuff from getting ruined, the company maintains clean and climate-controlled units.
Get a QuoteThings to Consider Before Renting out a Unit from Public Storage
1. Administrative fee:
Public storage charges all their customers with an administrative fee when you rent out a storage unit from them. This fee is taken as compensation for the services provided by them that include setting up your storage account and processing your rental agreement.
2. Insurance:
If you read their reviews, you will notice that some of the people aren’t very satisfied with the coverage options offered by Orange Door Insurance. However, most of these people hadn’t read the terms and the conditions of the policy carefully, because of which they didn’t understand the policy accurately. If you feel that the insurance offered by Orange Door isn’t enough for you, you can always purchase additional insurance from third party companies.
3. Thefts:
Though most of the storage facilities are extremely secure, there have been some reports of thefts in a couple of facilities around Los Angeles. This hasn’t occurred frequently, however, if you consider renting a unit from there, do consider investing a little bit more in locks and coverage options.
4. Accessibility of the Units:
If you are someone who needs to access their unit at odd hours (between 9 pm to 6 am), Public Storage timings might not work for you. You can visit your units only between 6 am to 9 pm every day. However, if you are not available during those timings, Public Storage allows you to give your family or friends access to your unit. In conclusion, you can still rent a unit from them even if the visiting hours don’t agree with you.
Is Public Storage the Right Choice for you?
Public Storage is one of the best ways to go if you have storage needs as their services are available almost everywhere. You won’t have to sweat over searching for a storage facility if you choose them. In addition to this, they provide excellent services and their prices are a steal!
Because they offer you such a wide variety of storage options and unit sizes, it is a guarantee that you will find the right type and size of a storage unit for yourself.
How long does public storage give you to pay?
You rent out units from Public Storage on a monthly basis. When you rent a unit from them, they ask you to make a payment on the first day of every month. You can delay your payment by 6 days, however, once the grace period is over, you will be charged with late fees.
Can Public Storage affect your credit?
Public Storage and even other storage companies can definitely affect your credit score but only if you don’t make your payments in time. If you don’t make timely payments, it will show on the credit reports and eventually bring down your credit score. If you want to avoid this, always be punctual with your bill payments.
Can you sleep in a public storage unit?
The answer to the question is a big fat no. Always remember that sleeping, staying, or working from your storage units is illegal. You also aren’t allowed to keep any kinds of animals in your storage units. Storage units might not have sufficient ventilation for you or any kind of living thing to survive. Do not even try to sneak and stay in a unit as you will have to face dire consequences if you are caught.
Get a QuoteSee also: CubeSmart Review | Extra Space Storage Review | Simply Self Storage Review
