It gives the family time. When a parent with dementia moves into a care home, in with you, or somewhere smaller, only a few things can go with them, and the house often has to be emptied before anyone is ready to decide about the rest. A storage unit keeps those things safe while your parent settles and the family decides together, at a pace you can manage. The unit is usually rented by whoever is organising the move, often a husband or wife, son or daughter, and they can authorise brothers, sisters or a friend to get in. For 50 sq ft (the contents of a small one-bedroom flat), the median (middle value) of the listed prices on our September 2026 price lists is £143 every four weeks (£82 to £304 on the lists), and a furnished three-bedroom house is nearer 100 sq ft (median £230). Prices differ by site. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. The minimum term is two weeks.
Moving into a care home or in with family: what goes with them, what goes into storage
If your parent is moving in with family, the three piles below work the same way: their own chair and photographs go in their new room, and storage takes the furniture your house has no space for yet.
For a care home (our guide to storing a parent's belongings when they move into care covers the practical side), ask what the room will take before you pack anything; the NHS checklist for choosing a home includes "space for their own furniture and possessions". Alzheimer's Society suggests: "Ask the care home manager if you can set up the room with the person's familiar items to help them feel at home when they arrive. This can also reduce stress on the day and allow you to focus on the person."
That leaves three piles:
- To the room: the chair, the photographs, the lamp and whatever the home has room for.
- Into storage: furniture and belongings nobody has decided about yet, and things your parent may ask after. If the home agrees, you can swap a picture or a cushion from the unit later. Leave out the shed's paint, solvents and spray cans, flame symbol or not: clause 18(c) bars "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases". See can I store paint.
- Home with you: valuables and original papers. Alzheimer's Society advises: "Keep valuable items in a separate location. For example, lock them in a cabinet or look after them at your home." For photographs and documents: "You could keep the originals at your home and use the copies in the care home." Wills, deeds and bank papers are better to hand than in a unit.
Alzheimer's Society also suggests an inventory: "Care homes usually do their own inventory, but it can be helpful for you to do one too." It can be "a list of items" that "can include photographs of any valuables", and "You can give a copy to the manager to keep on file." Keep one for the unit too: it settles questions between siblings and helps with insurance.
Whose name the unit goes in
Our guide for families says: "We simply need a named account holder who is responsible for the unit." Usually that's the husband, wife, son or daughter organising the move, who books online, verifies their own photo ID and signs; our guide to who can sign the storage agreement covers the options.
If you're the husband or wife and the things are from your shared home, clause 1(c) (below) asks that you're the owner or "entitled at law to deal with them"; if you're unsure about anything that's your partner's alone, ask a solicitor.
Everyone else gets in as an Agent. Our terms define that as "persons who you authorise, or who accompany you, to access the Unit", and clause 14 says: "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit. You are responsible for and liable to Us and other users of the Facility for Your own actions and those of Your Agents." So the customer decides which siblings have access and answers for what they do on site. Sharing access to your unit explains how to add them.
The customer also promises, under clause 1(c), that they own the goods or are "entitled at law to deal with them in accordance with all aspects of this Agreement as agent for the owner". If your parent can no longer agree to it and nobody holds a power of attorney, ask a solicitor whether you can give that promise before you book. Storing someone else's belongings explains what it covers.
If your parent can still decide, they can agree to you booking in your name for their things, or rent in their own name with you as their Agent. Either way, the agreement can't be transferred later: the customer "may not assign or transfer any of Your rights under this Agreement" (clause 46(i)). So if there's no power of attorney yet, think about whose name will suit you if your parent can no longer manage the account. For joint customers (clause 46(k)), ask us.
If you hold a lasting power of attorney
A registered lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs lets you make decisions about your parent's money and property. Your parent is the donor. While they still have capacity, GOV.UK says you can start making decisions only if both "the lasting power of attorney (LPA) says you can" and "the donor gives you permission". Our guide for solicitors (written for solicitors acting for a client) says: "The attorney is the contracting party, the unit is in their name in that capacity." It also says "We do not verify or interpret the scope of a power of attorney", so whether storage, and paying for it from your parent's money, falls within yours is for you and your solicitor. Our pages don't say what we'll ask to see from an attorney at booking, so ask us when you book (0800 2545585).
GOV.UK says you "cannot start acting until it is" registered, and that an attorney must:
- "act in the donor's best interests and help them make their own decisions where possible";
- "keep the donor's money and property separate from your own (unless you already share a bank account)";
- "keep records of your actions".
In practice, that points to an inventory that shows which things are your parent's, and our invoices kept with your records. Where your parent can still take part, let them choose what goes to their room.
If your parent has lost capacity and there is no registered lasting (or older enduring) power of attorney, GOV.UK explains how to apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy. If they have one, "they do not usually need a deputy".
If your parent can still plan the move with you and hasn't made a lasting power of attorney, GOV.UK says a person must "have mental capacity" when they make one, and "It can take up to 16 weeks to register", so it is one to start now; the Office of the Public Guardian helps on 0300 456 0300.
Moving in and looking after what's stored
On moving day, our guide to booking for a move says "a removals crew cannot be left to load into the unit without you", so you or a sibling with access must be there (see do I have to be there on moving-in day). Our terms say goods are stored "at Your sole risk and responsibility" (clause 30) and must be insured for their Replacement Value (clause 31), through our contents protection or your own policy. For albums and loose prints, see storing photographs.
If your parent already rents a unit with us
The agreement can't be transferred (clause 46(i)), so call us on 0800 2545585 before a payment is missed, with any lasting power of attorney or deputyship order to hand. How to give notice covers ending it for someone who can no longer manage their affairs.
How much space, and for how long
| Size | Roughly holds (our size guide) | Median of our listed prices per four weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 25 sq ft | a few pieces of furniture and boxes | £78 |
| 50 sq ft | the contents of a small one-bedroom flat | £143 |
| 100 sq ft | a typical furnished three-bedroom house | £230 |
The prices are medians from our September 2026 price lists, before any introductory offer. Find your nearest site.
When the family is ready, give notice, normally 14 days: see how to give notice. For deciding what to keep, should I store, sell or give it away may help.
Support, and when you're ready
Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Line is on 0333 150 3456, and Age UK's free advice line is on 0800 678 1602. When you're ready to book, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585, and we'll help you work out the size.
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