4 Things to Consider When Choosing a College Storage Unit
Every August, millions of students return to their universities to begin another school year. Most of these students have more belongings and furniture than can fit in their cramped dorms or studio apartments. So, what do they do? Oftentimes, they turn to local self-storage companies. Typically, this will be the first time these young people use storage units, so they don’t always know what to look for. In response to that, the purpose of this blog will be to explain four key topics to consider when choosing a college storage unit.
1. Cleanliness.
This may be the most obvious thing to consider when choosing where to store your belongings. As is the case with most businesses, the cleanliness of the establishment is often related to the quality of service you’ll receive. If the office of the facility is filthy, don’t expect your belongings to look any better when you take them out of storage in a year. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should top dollar for the facility with the cleanest office, but definitely don’t go with the cheapest option if it’s unbearably dirty.
2. Safety.
One factor that is routinely overlooked, especially by first-time customers, is the safety of the area the storage facility is in. Despite the security measures that storage facilities take, if your unit is in a bad part of town, it’s more likely to be broken into. Unfortunately, the most cost-effective units will be in the worst parts of town, so you have to weigh the pros and cons of that choice. There are multiple ways to evaluate the safety of various parts of town, but some of the best include looking at housing prices and school quality, and following the local police station on social media. Additionally, you can also ask a university housing specialist, as they are paid to know the local community intimately.
3. Price.
This certainly won’t apply all the time, but oftentimes you will find that storage facilities will offer discounts to students. Additionally, many universities give out coupon books at the beginning of the semester, and it’s not uncommon for those to feature special rate offers from local storage facilities. The other price consideration that has to be made is that storage prices often surge just before the school year starts. There are actually times when it’s cheaper to purchase your storage unit a month or so early in order to save a little money by avoiding the price surge.
4. Time.
When making your choice of college storage facility, think long and hard about the duration you’ll be storing your belongings. Is it going to be a few years? Is it just a couple of months? How often do you need to get into the unit? These factors all play a major part in what facility you choose to go with. At All Points of Texas, we offer long-term storage solutions. This keeps the price fairly low, but limits how often you can access it. Conversely, numerous storage companies near college campuses offer monthly rates with unlimited access, but the price may be higher. If you don’t need to access your belongings with any regularity, the best choice may be a long-term storage solution like the ones we offer at All Points of Texas.
Whether you’re a freshman buying storage for the first time, or a grad student who has some negative experiences with damaged belongings, we hope that these guidelines help you pick the best storage fit for you. If you’re looking for clean, safe, climate-controlled, price-effective, and long-term storage partner, All Points of Texas can help. Contact us today for a free estimate.
