The difference is who holds the key and who touches your things. With self storage you rent your own unit, you (or people you authorise) move everything in and out, and you can visit whenever the site is open, normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book). With removals storage (often searched for as removal company storage), the removal firm packs your goods, usually into wooden containers on its van, and keeps them in its warehouse; you get to them by appointment, and the firm brings them back when you're ready. If you won't need anything until you move in, removals storage is one contact; if dates might slip or you'll want things mid-way, self storage keeps you in charge. We require your goods to be insured (clause 31); a removal firm may offer its own cover, so ask what it includes. Self storage is priced per unit and a removal firm prices storage its own way, so compare quotes for the same load. Moving house, storing for a business, arranging it for a parent, or already storing with us? Each has a section below.
Side by side
| Self storage (a Wigwam unit) | Removals storage (a removal firm's warehouse) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can get in | You and people you authorise (clause 14) | Firm's staff; you by arrangement |
| When | Normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page) | By appointment; one firm suggests at least 48 hours' notice |
| Who moves the goods | You, or a removal crew with someone from your side there | The firm's crew, packed straight into containers |
| How space is sized | Floor area, in square feet | Containers, with 250 cubic feet a common size |
| Risk while stored | Your "sole risk" (clause 30); goods must be insured (clause 31) | Set by the firm's own terms; ask for them |
| Price | Per unit, per week or per four weeks | Ask how it's priced and whether delivery back is included |
Who can get to your things
Our terms say: "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit." You can share access with a relative or colleague (see sharing access to your unit). We may enter "on not less than 7 days' notice to inspect or carry out repairs…" (clause 17).
Hours matter if you'll visit in the evening or need a long loading day. Access is normally 6am to 10pm, but clause 12 lets us change it temporarily, and Cheltenham's page also shows shorter storage access hours, so confirm yours when you book.
With a removal firm, the goods sit in its warehouse. The British Association of Removers (BAR), the trade body for removal firms, says in its home storage guide: "Customer access is minimal and they are always accompanied by a member of staff." Britannia's storage FAQ says to "call your local Britannia office… and arrange a convenient date to attend. There is normally a small charge for this and we suggest providing at least 48 hours' notice, more during peak times." That works for goods you won't need until the new house is ready, less well if you'll want things back mid-way.
Who handles the goods
In removals storage the crew does the lifting. BAR describes the firm packing your goods "directly into the container(s) on the removal van" and taking them "directly into store". Britannia's container page says the containers are "lifted mechanically", that it provides "an itemised inventory", and that "Once your container is safely in position, it will not be touched again until you need it."
In self storage you, or anyone you hire, do the carrying. If a removal firm brings your goods to your unit, someone from your side must be there. Our guide to booking storage for a move says: "a removals crew cannot be left to load into the unit without you." See do I have to be there on moving-in day for sending a stand-in.
Insurance and liability
Our terms put the risk on you. Clause 30: "The Goods are stored at Your sole risk and responsibility…" We exclude liability for loss or damage "except where this results from Our negligence or breach of contract, in which case Our liability will be limited to the sum of £100 in total". Clause 30(a) also excludes all liability for "loss or damage to Your business, if any, including consequential loss, lost profits or business interruption".
In plain words, your insurance is what pays if something is damaged or stolen, and clause 31 makes it "a condition of this Agreement that the Goods remain adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value… while they are in storage". You can take our Contents Protection or use your own policy (see how much contents cover you need). Check your home policy first: our contents protection page says "Ordinarily, standard home insurance policies do not extend coverage to items stored away from your home address, such as in a self-storage facility."
A removal firm sets its own terms. Britannia's storage FAQ starts its insurance answer with "You should arrange comprehensive insurance for all your belongings during removal and storage", then says it "offers full transit and storage insurance" and "recommends checking your home contents policy terms as it may cover you for goods in storage with a professional removal company". Ask any firm for its storage terms and what it will pay for, and up to what limit.
Which is cheaper: self storage or removals storage?
Neither is reliably cheaper: it depends on the size you need, how long you store and how many moves and visits you pay for, so compare like for like (below).
We charge per unit. On our September 2026 price lists, the median (middle value) of the listed prices for a 25 sq ft unit is about £78 per four weeks (£19.50 a week), and for 50 sq ft about £143 (£35.75 a week), across the lists for Alton, Bath, Bromsgrove, Burton-on-Trent, Chipping Norton, Dorking, Leatherhead, Lincoln, March, Marlow, Reading, Shipston-on-Stour and Tewkesbury. Listed prices per four weeks run from £44 to £188 and £82 to £304 respectively, though a household's surplus furniture usually needs more than 25 or 50 sq ft (our room-by-room size guide helps you work it out). Your site's price can sit well above or below the median. For 100 sq ft, the median of the listed prices is about £230 per four weeks (£57.50 a week), with listed prices from £136 to £524. Several of these lists show an offer on selected sizes (50% or 75% off for the first 4, 8 or 12 weeks), which can cover a short gap between sale and purchase; offers vary by site, so check what your quote shows. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. Our minimum term FAQ says "2 weeks is our minimum term". Moving the goods in and out is yours to arrange and pay for.
BAR puts a standard warehouse container at 250 cubic feet, "approximately 5 feet wide, 7 feet deep and 8 feet high", and says: "Container storage is almost always cheaper than self-storage." Our own renovation storage guide takes the opposite view for someone staying at home through building work, saying that removals storage there "usually costs more and gives you less control." The fair test is two quotes for the same inventory and the same number of weeks, with every move included: collection, storage, any access visits, and delivery at the end.
Which is better: self storage or removals storage?
Moving house or between homes
If the gap is fixed and you won't need anything until the keys arrive, a removal firm doing the move, storage and delivery is one contact. If completion might slip, or you'll want things mid-gap, self storage keeps you in charge. If you're moving away, choose the site with care: self storage always means two moves, one into the unit and one out of it, and a site near your old home makes the second one the long one. You can still use a removal firm to bring the goods to your unit; we can recommend local firms on request.
Downsizing or storing for longer
If you're downsizing and keeping surplus furniture for months, count the visits as well as the weekly price. Britannia's storage FAQ says of getting to your goods: "There is normally a small charge for this and we suggest providing at least 48 hours' notice, more during peak times." With self storage, you let yourself in whenever your site is open; do I have to be there on moving-in day explains how entry is set up.
Storing for a business or trade
Regular access is the deciding factor. Stock or tools you need weekly suit a unit you can reach yourself during access hours. At a removal firm's warehouse, visits are by appointment and may carry a charge (see Britannia's wording above).
A unit is for storing, not for running the business from. Our terms say you will use the unit "solely for the purpose of storage", and clause 22(a) rules out using it "as offices" or "as a home, business or mailing address". Plan deliveries too: our guide to booking storage for a move says "Wigwam does not sign for or receive deliveries", so someone from your business must meet every delivery or courier at the unit. If you'd like to pack orders in the unit, ask us first: our own pages don't agree on it, and can I pack orders in my storage unit sets out what each says. If losing the stock would stop your business, remember clause 30(a) above, and check your home or business policy.
Arranging storage for a parent or an estate
If nobody can do the lifting, removals storage takes that off you. With self storage, someone you trust needs access and must be there whenever a crew loads. Our guide to who pays for storage while an estate is sorted out covers the estate side.
Already storing with us
A removal firm can load or empty your unit, provided someone from your side is there for the whole load. Can a removals firm drop off without me has the checklist.
Questions to ask before you choose
Ask a removal firm:
- how it prices storage (per container, per cubic foot or per room) and whether that includes VAT;
- what an access visit costs and how much notice it needs;
- whether it delivers single items or whole containers only;
- what its storage terms say about liability for loss or damage, and any limit;
- whether it's a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR): the Chartered Trading Standards Institute says BAR inspects members against criteria that include "contractual and insurance arrangements".
Ask us, on 0800 2545585:
- your site's hours and prices;
- which removal firms we recommend near your site.
Ask your insurer:
- whether your home or business policy covers goods in a self storage unit, or in a removal firm's warehouse.
Get a price
Get a price online for a unit, then put it beside the removal firm's storage quote for the same load. Not sure which site? See our locations page.
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