There's no set-up or admin fee at Wigwam: our licence terms don't include one among the charges they list. Every charge the contract allows is listed below; several aren't priced publicly (contents cover, the Late Payment Fee, the Cleaning Fee and extended access), so ask. The weekly price isn't the whole bill. Before you move in you pay your first storage period in advance, and a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate, and you need contents cover (it's compulsory) and a padlock. After that, three things are easy to miss: a year holds 13 four-week payments, not 12; the introductory offer ends; and a missed payment can mean repaying the offer's discount. Late fees, cleaning charges and short-notice charges only arise if something goes wrong. Most can be avoided, but collection costs on an unpaid bill have no stated cap, so call us before a due date if a payment may fail.
What you pay before you move in
A deposit
Our terms require it when you sign (clause 4). It comes back by cheque or bank transfer within 21 days of your agreement ending, less anything owed for unpaid fees, cleaning or repairs. The booking answer on our FAQs page describes it as two weeks' storage; the amount on your quote is the one that counts, so check it there.
Your first storage period, in advance
We take the first payment when we accept your order, and every later payment in advance at the start of each period (clause 5(a)). You pay for the weeks ahead, never the weeks behind.
Contents cover
Your goods must be insured for their replacement value the whole time they're stored (clause 31). You can take our contents protection, which is priced on the replacement value you declare, or use your own policy if it covers goods in a self-storage facility. If you take ours and then send proof of your own cover within 14 days of moving in, we refund our charges in full.
A padlock
Keeping your unit locked is your job under clause 21. If you already own a good padlock, this costs nothing. If not, our Box Shop sells a 40mm brass padlock for £12, a 50mm combination padlock for £18, and an 82mm heavy-duty container shutter padlock for £36.
Every cost, in one table
| Cost | When it applies | How much | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage fee | Every period, paid in advance | Per site and size. A typical 50 sq ft unit is £143 per four weeks (range £82 to £304, September 2026 price lists) | cl.5(a) |
| Deposit | Paid at booking, refunded within 21 days of the end | Two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate; your quote shows the exact amount | cl.4 |
| Contents cover | The whole time you store | Ours is priced on your goods' replacement value, or use your own policy | cl.31 |
| VAT | Included in our prices | Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay | cl.5(d) |
| Padlock | Once, if you need one | £12, £18 or £36 from the Box Shop | cl.21 |
| Extended access | Only if we've agreed hours outside 6am to 10pm | An additional charge, confirmed when agreed | cl.13 |
| Late Payment Fee | Each time a payment is late or cancelled | Not on the price list; ask us | cl.5(b) |
| Collection costs | If fees go unpaid | Our costs of collecting, including debt collection and legal fees | cl.5(c) |
| Offer repaid | If you miss a due date after an introductory offer | The full value of the discount you received | clause 6 (in the list that begins "You acknowledge that", point (c)) |
| Cleaning Fee or repairs | If the unit is left dirty or damaged | A Cleaning Fee and reasonable repair costs, which can come out of your deposit | cl.23 |
| Price change | Only after 28 days' written notice; you can leave without charge before it applies | The new price, if you stay | cl.45 |
| Short notice | If you give less notice than your agreement requires | Storage fees for the notice you didn't give | cl.41 |
Not hidden, but easy to miss
Thirteen payments a year
Our price lists are per four weeks, and our payment options FAQ says ongoing payments are taken every four weeks by card or Direct Debit. A year is 52 weeks, which is 13 four-week periods. At £143 per four weeks, a year costs £1,859. Multiply the four-week price by 12 instead and you'd plan for £1,716, and come up £143 short.
The price after the offer
Introductory offers are a discount on the first few weeks, and the full price starts when they end. At Burton-on-Trent, for example, the offer on our September 2026 price list is 75% off the first eight weeks. A 50 sq ft ground-floor unit listed at £114 per four weeks costs £57 in total for the first eight weeks, instead of £228, then £114 every four weeks from week nine. The offer is normally 50% or 75% off the first eight weeks, but it varies by site: Lincoln's runs for 12 weeks, Leatherhead's covers the first four weeks on the first floor only, and at Shipston-on-Stour it applies to containers only. Offers change, so check the current one, and whether it covers your unit size, in your quote.
A worked first year
For that Burton-on-Trent unit, on the September 2026 price list:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 13 four-week periods at £114 | £1,482 |
| Less the introductory offer (75% off the first eight weeks) | minus £171 |
| Storage for the first year | £1,311 |
| Plus contents cover | priced on your goods' replacement value (or your own policy) |
| Plus the refundable deposit (two weeks' rent at the standard weekly rate) | shown on your quote |
| Plus a padlock, if you need one | £12 to £36 |
Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay.
An offer you can be asked to repay
If you don't pay on a due date, the value of any discount or free storage you've had becomes payable in full (clause 6 (in the list that begins "You acknowledge that", point (c))). In the Burton-on-Trent example, that's £171. The way to avoid it is to keep the card or Direct Debit on your account working.
Contents cover for as long as you store
You pay it for every period, alongside the storage fee. Our insurance FAQ explains how the replacement value is worked out.
VAT
Our terms make VAT payable on what we supply (clause 5(d)). Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. If you're storing for a business, we issue an electronic invoice after each payment (clause 5(a)); whether your invoice shows VAT you can reclaim is not published, so ask on 0800 2545585. See do storage prices include VAT? for more.
Price changes, minimum term and notice
A price rise can't arrive unannounced. Under clause 45 we can change the storage fee or the terms only by telling you in writing, and the change takes effect on the first due date at least 28 days after our notice. In the clause's own words: "You may end this Agreement without charge before the change takes effect by giving notice in accordance with Clause 39."
The minimum term is two weeks. After that there's no fixed term: you give written notice to leave, and the notice period is shown on your agreement's cover sheet (normally 14 days). Our guide to giving notice shows how to time it so you don't pay for weeks you don't need.
Costs that only arise if something goes wrong
A late or failed payment
Each one carries a Late Payment Fee (clause 5(b)), plus "any costs incurred by the Us in collecting late or unpaid Storage Fees, or in enforcing this Agreement in any way", including debt collection and legal fees (clause 5(c)). The terms set no cap on those costs, so if you think a payment may fail, call us on 0800 2545585 before the due date rather than after it. Until it's paid we can refuse access and fit our own lock to your unit (clause 6(a)), and the offer clawback above can apply too. If you're paying for storage on someone else's behalf, such as for an estate, make sure the card or Direct Debit on the account isn't one that's about to be closed. Our guide to what happens if you miss a storage payment sets out the steps in order.
Leaving the unit dirty or damaged
You must keep the unit clean and in good repair. If it isn't, we can keep the deposit, charge a Cleaning Fee, and claim reasonable repair or rubbish-removal costs (clause 23). Sweep out and take everything with you, and with nothing else owed, the deposit comes back.
Short notice
Either side can end the agreement in writing, with the notice period shown on your agreement. Give less than that and we can charge, or keep from your deposit, the storage fees for the missing days (clause 41).
A padlock in the wrong place
Your unit has a separate position we use for our own lock. A padlock fitted there can be cut off at your expense (clause 21), so fit yours to your unit's own hasp, and ask us if you're not sure which that is.
How to compare quotes fairly
Ask every operator the same five questions: how much is the deposit, and when does it come back; does the price include VAT; what will contents cover cost for your goods' value; do you pay every four weeks or every month, and what's the price once the offer ends; and is there an admin or set-up fee.
Some operators answer these in writing. Access Self Storage, for example, publishes that it charges no admin fee, takes no deposit on its Direct Debit and card plans, includes VAT in its prices, and sells padlocks in store for £14. That's a clear answer, and it's the standard to hold every quote to, ours included. We do take a deposit, and we'd rather you knew that before you compare.
Get your full price
For how unit size drives the headline price, see how much do your units cost?. For today's unit price and offer at your nearest site, get a price online. Then call us on 0800 2545585 and we'll confirm the deposit and, if you take our cover rather than arranging your own insurance, the contents cover cost for your goods. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT.
Related questions