Self Storage Tips

There are many reasons businesses may want to use outside storage. Often, space may not be available in the office or the real estate may be so expensive that it is not cost effective to use some of the space for storage. You will pay the same per square foot for storage space in an office building as you will for the office. Less expensive public storage is then ideal. If you are fortunate enough to work in a rapidly growing company, your business may need more storage space and self storage is an excellent, secure and cost effective option. Almost any type of company can benefit and take advantage of outside storage from law offices to medical practices.

Outside storage offers both a cost effective and convenient solution for storing such items as

• Files
• Office furniture
• Any type of excess stock
• Marketing presentations
• Miscellaneous office equipment
• Computers
• Electronic equipment
• Musical instruments
• Pianos

If you are looking at storing items from the workplace, always check to find out if your company has a record storage retention policy or if there is any governing regulatory requirement on the length of time you need to keep these records. The records may be obsolete or out of date and you may be able to shred them and throw them out.

When looking in to storage for your business you will need to check out if you can go and collect any items from storage you may want at any time and if you have to give any notice to do this. This may be especially important to businesses where important business records are being stored.

You will need to decide if you wish to take out any supplemental insurance. Your company’s insurance policy may cover goods in storage so be sure to look into this first.

Security is probably going to be of the first question you will ask the warehouse operator about and if it is not it should be. You will want to understand the security arrangements at the warehouse so be sure and ask some key questions including:

Environment is the next topic you should bring up. Do your items require any special climate conditions such as temperature and/ humidity control. If you are planning on storing paper files these will need to be stored in an environment with humidity controls. High humidity is the single biggest cause of damage to paper products. You will pay extra for climate controlled storage but it is definitely worth it as your goods will remain in the same conditions as when they went in to storage.

Almost any company can gain from storing files and paper records in an archive. Many doctors, dentists, lawyers and corporations both large and small can take advantage of this option to move some of that paperwork off site. Office space can be very expensive per square foot and using large storage spaces in the office for records may not be cost effective. Off site archiving can be an excellent low cost option.

You will also need to organize your records before placing them in to storage so that retrieval is not an issue. Archive boxes clearly labeled with the contents are a must have and you must also understand your filing system. Conducting this work up front will make it much easier in the future when you are looking to find records in a hurry.

So what should you look for in an archive facility?

Climate control – Moisture is the enemy of paper and when there is too much moisture in the air paper gets wet and eventually disintegrates. Paper products rot when humidity levels are above 65% RH. High humidity can also cause damage to the spine of books eventually causing the spine to collapse and come apart. It is therefore important to choose a facility that offers climate control. Mildew can also cause damage to paper products and RH levels of 65% or below will control mildew. Paper products are best stored at 50- 85 degrees F.

Easy Access – Most companies offer access at least during business hours, 7 days a week.

Organized – Are your first impressions of the facility that it is well organized? More specifically, check out if the storage areas are laid out in such a way as to provide easy access for retrieval.

• Are the aisles wide enough and is the shelving laid out is such a way as it is easy to see the labels on the archive boxes?
• Are the shelves sturdy enough to hold all your records safely and securely?

You should also understand whether a large range of paper sizes can be accommodated and whether any electronic media can be stored. More often than not, if paper products can be stored in a facility so can electronic media, however be sure to ask just in case.

Insurance – Self storage companies will offer you extra cost insurance in the unfortunate and unlikely event some or all of your records get damaged. In fact many companies will suggest you take out supplemental insurance above and beyond what is offered by the facility. This is recommended as you cannot replace records once destroyed unless you have them backed up electronically in another location