Houses in the UK are continually decreasing in size. A recently published survey found that rooms are now smaller. Living rooms dropped by an average of 2.8 square metres. The average size for a master bedroom used to be 14.71 square metres. It is now just a measly 13.83 square metres. Even kitchens shrub by 0.82 square metres.
The UK housing market is the cause of this regression. There is a rising demand for houses but there is a limited supply. Basic economic states that given these parameters, there will be an inflation on the price. With the population continuing to rise, the housing market just can’t cope up.
Because of these factors, UK residents are already all too familiar with sky-high rent. Some Londoners even report spending over 50% of their salaries on rent alone! Insane rental fees push residents to find a smaller apartment and downsize.
In exchange for a decrease in your rent, you give up living and storage space. Many are also co-sharing, meaning they share their living spaces with strangers. All living areas are common spaces and there’s not much privacy or room for their stuff.
The rise of the self-storage industry could not come at a better time. Storage units provide the extra storage space residents need while allowing homeowners to regain back their living space. Henfield Storage is one of the leading storage companies offering affordable storage solutions to UK residents. If you’re new to storage units, check out our Newbie’s Guide for Renting Storage Units.
Storage units are fine but some residents need bigger storage spaces. Instead of going for storage units, they prefer garage storage. Here, we have listed down the pros and cons of renting a garage storage.
Pros of Renting A Garage Storage
Extra Storage Space
As with all storage solutions, garage storage provides users with extra storage space. Homeowners can store just about anything inside their units. Some of the common items stored inside garage storage are:
- Cars
- Motorcycles
- Clothes
- Furniture
- Appliances
- Personal Souvenirs
- Photo albums
- Power Tools
The most common reason for renting garage storage is to declutter. All the stuff that homeowners want to save but can’t keep inside their homes is sent off to storage.
A Garage Is Safe and Secure
Garages are spacious, but more importantly, secure from vandals and thieves. Going away for an extended period of time? You don’t exactly want to leave your car just out in the open. You might come home to it missing a few parts or worse, missing entirely. Also, your car may not fare well exposed to the elements under long periods of time. If you don’t have a garage of your own, then it’s best to rent one.
Bigger Than A Storage Unit
A garage is bigger than a storage unit. This gives tenants more versatility in how they can use their unit. You can have your garage storage customized to fit your storage needs. Make use of the vertical space by installing shelves for stacking. Since your power tools are inside, you can also turn your garage into a secure workshop. As long as you clarify it with the site manager or landlord, you pretty much have a blank canvas with your garage unit. Think creatively on what you can do with your extra space.
Commercial Storage
A garage unit is not just for personal use. Many commercial establishments such as online resellers and startups use a garage for their storage needs. Inspired by Jeff Bezos’ success with Amazon and budget cuts, business startups use garages as their temporary office. Garage units are also used to store company files, business inventory, and even office supplies. You can check out Henfield Storage’s Business Storage solutions here.
Cons of Renting a Garage Storage
When you’re considering a garage for storage, it’s best to look at the cons as well.
Rental Fees
While renting a garage won’t cost as much as renting a house with an extra bedroom for your belongings, it will still cost money. Garages go for an average of £100 to £250 PCM (per calendar month). These are price estimates. The actual cost may vary depending on the size, location, and what you want to do with the garage. Additionally, you must also factor in the cost of installing shelves, lighting, and an internet connection if you’ll use it as an office.
Garage Can Be Too Big
If you’re only storing a couple of boxes max, then you probably won’t need to rent out an entire garage. You might be better off with a storage unit. You can check out Henfield Storage’s affordable storage units here.
Transit Expenses
When you’re storing your belongings elsewhere, you always to have to consider transit expenses. How will you move your things from your house to your garage? A removals company or a man and van will cost hundreds of pounds — money that you may not have at the moment.
Thankfully, Henfield Storage offers a FREE collection service for long-term clients. Just talk to the site manager of your own choosing to discuss what their terms are.
Renting from Strangers
It’s understandably difficult to entrust the belongings that you bought with your hard-earned money to strangers. If you’re not comfortable with leaving your items to strangers, leave it with Henfield Storage instead!
Henfield Storage offers a Garage for Rent alternative that you can use. Rest assured that you can trust us with your items. We’ve been in the storage industry for over 40 years and is considered one of the best. All of our storage units are secure, clean, spacious, and dry, not to mention affordable.
Contact us now for a free quote!
