They're built to stay dry, but no storage unit comes with a waterproof guarantee, ours included. Most of our units are purpose-built rooms inside our buildings, and the outdoor containers at Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster are watertight steel boxes. Our terms, though, make no promise that any unit suits particular goods, and your belongings are stored at your own risk. If water does get in, even through our fault, our liability is capped at £100 in total. That's why every customer must have contents cover, and why a few simple steps when you pack (off the floor, dry going in, a gap at the walls) matter more than the word "waterproof".
Indoor units and container units
| Indoor units | Container units | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Purpose-built storage rooms inside our warehouse buildings | Steel shipping containers outside, with drive-up access |
| Where | Most of our units | Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster only |
| Weather | Sheltered by the building around them | Designed to stand up to harsh weather, and watertight |
| Where water could still come from | A leak or spill from inside the building, such as a burst pipe or a neighbour's freezer that wasn't defrosted | Condensation inside the steel box, and anything brought in wet |
A watertight container keeps rain out. It doesn't stop condensation: when warm, damp air inside a closed metal box cools, the moisture in it turns back into water on the cold walls and roof. That's why what you put in, and how dry it is, counts for as much as the container. Our guide on dehumidifiers and condensation in a container unit goes into this in detail.
What "clean, dry and secure" commits to
"Clean, dry and secure" is how we describe our units. We don't offer climate control, so we don't regulate the temperature or humidity inside a unit. For what that means through a winter, see do storage units get cold in winter?. A unit is also not a fireproof or flood-proof vault.
Our terms put it plainly (clause 26). You must make sure the unit is suitable for what you plan to store in it. You're advised to inspect it before you move in and from time to time while you're storing. And we "make no warranty or representation that any unit is suitable for any particular goods". So if something you own can't cope with any moisture at all, the decision to store it is yours, and it's worth talking to us first.
One more rule is relevant here. Clause 18 says you must not store "items which are unique in nature and/or where the value to You cannot be assessed on a financial basis" (clause 18(j)). If you're unsure whether something you own counts, ask us before you book.
If you're storing artwork, paper or other sensitive materials, see storing paintings and framed artwork and our post on whether you really need climate-controlled storage.
If water does get in: who pays?
Read this part before you book. Clause 30 of our terms says: "The Goods are stored at Your sole risk and responsibility and You shall be responsible for and bear the risk of any and all theft, damage to, and deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason."
It then excludes our liability for "loss of or damage to Goods or any claim for return of the Storage Fees 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." So even where a leak is our fault, the most our terms allow is £100. If you're storing as a private individual rather than a business, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a term that is unfair isn't binding on a consumer, so if you think our negligence caused the damage and the limit is unfair to you, Citizens Advice can help you look at it.
Clause 35 adds that we're not liable for loss or damage caused by events beyond our reasonable control, and its list includes "fire, flood" and "breakdown of plant or machinery".
Clause 31 closes the gap: we don't insure your goods, and "it is a condition of this Agreement that the Goods remain adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value".
So the protection against water damage is your contents cover. You can take our Contents Protection, which lists "Physical loss or damage caused by burst pipes or water leakage" and storm among the risks it covers, but that list doesn't mention flood from outside, and doesn't say whether slow damp or mould are covered, so check the policy wording before you rely on it for those. Or you can use your own policy, as long as it covers goods in self storage and names us and the site's full address. If you take ours at the start and then send proof of your own cover within 14 days of moving in, we refund the Contents Protection charges in full. For damp and mould, see whether contents protection covers damp and mould.
If you're storing because your home has flooded, keep your home insurer in the loop too, and don't assume a household policy covers goods away from home: our contents page notes that standard home policies usually don't.
Keeping things dry in practice
Most of what keeps belongings safe from water happens as you pack:
- Get everything off the floor. Water from a leak or spill runs along the floor first. Stand furniture and boxes on plastic pallets or sturdy plastic crates, which don't soak up water. Bring your own.
- Don't plan on a dehumidifier in an indoor unit. There's no power for your use: our terms don't allow you to connect any utilities or services to a unit unless we've authorised it (clause 22(e)). See whether storage units have electricity.
- Keep soft things up high. Put mattresses, sofas, clothes and paper on top and away from the floor, with hard, wipeable items at the bottom.
- Leave a gap at the walls so air can move and nothing sits against a cold surface.
- Know the flood risk of the site. We don't publish flood-risk information for our sites, but you can look up the long-term flood risk for the area around any of our addresses on GOV.UK's Check the long term flood risk for an area in England service, and ask us about the floor level of your unit when you book.
- Make sure it's dry going in. Don't store anything straight from a wet day, a damp garage or a flooded room. In a container, moisture you bring in is what turns into condensation.
- Empty and dry anything that holds water. Defrost fridges and freezers fully and dry them out; see storing a fridge or freezer. A washing machine or garden kit with water left inside can leak onto your things and your neighbour's.
- Pack paper and fabric in good boxes, and don't seal damp-prone things in airtight plastic for months. Our guide to stopping clothes going musty covers soft furnishings and clothes.
- Check in now and then. Our terms advise it, and a quick look catches a problem while it's small.
If you find water in your unit
- Tell us straight away on 0800 2545585. We need to find the source, and our terms let us enter a unit without notice in an emergency to prevent damage to property (clause 17), so a leak can be stopped even when its owner isn't there.
- Take photos of the water, the damage and any tide mark before you move anything. GOV.UK's flood guidance gives the same advice.
- Ask your insurer what you can move and throw away before you clear anything. If you have our Contents Protection, ask us in writing to notify a claim: under clause 48 we then notify the insurer, and you provide the information and evidence they reasonably need. Our terms also require you to tell us about loss or damage as soon as is reasonably possible (clause 42).
- Dry what can be saved, gently. The National Archives' advice for wet paper and objects is to circulate air, not to use heat (it raises the risk of mould), and to lay wet items out in a single layer on newspaper to draw the water out. Treat water of unknown origin with care: GOV.UK warns that flood water can carry sewage.
Our guide to making a claim if something in your unit is damaged walks through the claim itself.
Storing with us
If you're weighing up an indoor unit or a container, the short FAQ on whether our units are inside or outside shows which sites have which, and our container storage page covers the containers. When you're ready, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585, and ask us about the unit and the cover when you book.
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