What Are the Pros and Cons of Sharing Storage Units?

The Pros and Cons of Sharing Storage Units

Shared storage units are a popular way for people who don’t have the means to pay for a monthly storage space for their personal belongings or business items, or who don’t need the amount of space offered at their nearest storage facility. There are upsides and downsides to sharing space at a storage facility, many of which we discuss below. Read on to find out if this method of self-storage is right for you, or if you’re better off renting your own unit.

What is a Shared Storage Unit?

A shared storage unit is just a typical storage container, but one that you share with another person. This could be a friend, a family member, a business partner, a colleague, or an acquaintance. We wouldn’t recommend sharing with a stranger for safety reasons.

Why Share a Storage Unit?

Arguably, the most common reason that two or more people would want to share a storage unit is to cut down on costs. When sharing with one other person, you can halve your self-storage costs if you split it down the middle. That’s a big saving if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford the extra cost.

What Are the Pros?

As we mentioned, you can save money on your storage unit fees if you choose to share the storage space with someone else. But there are other benefits.

For instance, if you only need a small amount of storage space, and none of the storage facilities in your area offer a small enough container, you have the option to split an available container with a storage partner, so you’re not paying for unused space.

If you need a place to store your possessions temporarily, let’s say because you’re renovating your house, then you could piggyback off a friend’s family member’s existing self-storage unit. This way, you’re not locked into monthly fees and can easily add and remove your goods from the container at your leisure.

You might not be the person whose budget can’t afford extra space; your loved one might be in a bind, and you could do them a favour by loaning out a portion of your existing storage container.

What Are the Cons?

One of the biggest cons of this sharing arrangement is the lack of privacy you’ll experience when you share a self-storage unit. Your items in storage will be on display for the other person to see any time they visit the unit.

If you’re sharing the space with someone you don’t know that well, the safety and security of your possessions becomes a factor to consider, especially if you’re storing valuables like jewellery, memorabilia, or even items with sentimental value. You don’t want anything to grow legs and walk.

You also have to share control and storage access. Usually, storage providers give out one key per container, so you need to decide who is going to be the one who controls the access. Do you want someone coming to your house to collect the key every time they want something out of their unit? Or do you want to be the person who drives up and down to do this?

Whenever money is involved in a relationship, the arrangement needs careful thought. If you don’t work out exactly how the costs will be split, you could end up with a damaged relationship, whether it’s with a friend, family member, or acquaintance.

You’ll also face the inevitable situation when one of you will want to remove their possessions from the unit, leaving the other person to pay for the full cost.

How to Make Shared Storage Work

Consider each other’s needs, first and foremost. You’ll need to discuss the logistics of the arrangement with your storage partner upfront. Who is going to keep the key? When are you going to be able to visit your storage unit while still maintaining the other person’s privacy? For how long will you be renting storage together? How much are you each going to pay? What happens if one of you needs a bigger storage unit? Answer all of these questions truthfully at the beginning, so there are no nasty surprises down the line.

Make sure, as well, to look at the rental agreement you have in place with the storage company. It might not allow you to share your storage with another party. Be certain to read that rental agreement completely before signing on the dotted line.

Where to Start with Storage Arrangements?

At Easy Store, we make it affordable enough that most people don’t need to share a storage unit with someone else. Get the benefit of our drop-off and pick-up storage containers, where we deliver a container to your door and pick it up at no extra charge, for a fraction of the price you’d pay at many other storage facilities.

We also won’t lock you into a lengthy agreement with our month-to-month storage rental agreements. To get a quote for Easy Store storage solutions, complete the contact form on our website and we’ll get back to you quickly.