No, not on their own. Someone from your side has to be at the unit while a removals crew or courier is loading or unloading: you, or a friend, relative or colleague you've given their own access. Our sites don't take in deliveries, and our guides are clear that "a removals crew cannot be left to load into the unit without you". Anyone you give access to is your responsibility under our terms (clauses 14 and 16).
Moving house, expecting a business delivery, clearing a relative's home or working away? Each has its own section below.
Who can meet the van
| Who's at the unit | Does it work? | What to arrange |
|---|---|---|
| You | Yes | Book the crew early enough to finish inside access hours |
| A friend, relative or colleague with their own access | Yes | Set up their access before the day (see below) |
| The removals crew or courier on its own | No | Send a friend, relative or colleague with their own access |
Our guide to how much notice you need to book storage for a move explains why: "The site is yours to access, but someone from your side needs to be there if other people are handling your goods." So a sister or friend who lives elsewhere counts, as long as you've authorised them.
Setting up the person who meets the van
Our Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Lincoln and Warminster pages say a sharing button in smart entry, our phone-based digital key, lets you give someone "temporary or permanent unit access". Our Chipping Norton page says to email us to confirm who you want to give access to. Our Bath page says the same: "You can grant access to another person by emailing us with their details." If you're not sure which route works at your site, call us on 0800 2545585. Our guide on sharing access to your unit covers the options in full. If you've never been to the site yourself, ask us first whether a stand-in can do your first move-in.
Before moving day, make sure they have:
- smart entry working on their own phone, tested before the day. Our Tewkesbury page describes smart entry taking you "through the various security doors" before you reach your unit, so check they can do both;
- if you've shared a temporary key, one that lasts the whole day, with room for a van that runs late;
- the site address, your unit number and the access hours. Access is normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book), so book the van early enough that a late run still gets everything in;
- some ID. Our terms let us ask anyone on site for proof of identity, and refuse access to someone who can't show it;
- how the lock works. On units with a smart lock, sliding the latch back locks the door, the light on the lock glows red and the unit's alarm switches back on. At Chipping Norton the page says "Bring your own padlock for the unit", so they'll need its key or combination, and the doors work on a security PIN.
Tell the crew they can "park for free whilst you unload in the customer car park attached to the facility".
On the day, it helps if your stand-in ticks items off the removal firm's inventory as they go in and notes any damage before signing the crew's paperwork.
What stays your responsibility
Our terms say "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit", and an agent is anyone "who you authorise, or who accompany you". So the person you send, and the crew they let in, act on your behalf.
| Our terms say | What it means on moving day |
|---|---|
| You're responsible "for Your own actions and those of Your Agents" (clause 14) | What your stand-in does on site, you answer to us for |
| No damage to the unit or site, which "includes by removal, haulage or delivery contractors" (clause 22(f)) | If the crew scrapes a door frame or dents a wall, you answer to us for it |
| No obstruction, and no items or refuse left "in any common space" (clause 22(g)) | Everything goes into your unit, packaging included |
| You're "solely responsible for securing the Unit" (clause 21) | The last person out locks up, every time |
Clause 16 adds: "You should not leave a key with or permit access to the Unit to any person other than Your own Agent who is responsible to You and subject to Your control. If You do so, it is at Your own risk." That is why the person at the unit should be someone you know and who will follow your instructions, not the crew.
For how your belongings are covered on the road and on our site, see are my belongings covered while moving into storage.
Couriers and supplier deliveries for a business
Our guide to receiving stock at a self storage unit says "someone from the customer's own business must be present for any delivery" and "Wigwam does not sign for couriers or accept stock on a customer's behalf". So book a timed delivery inside access hours and have someone from your business meet the courier or haulier, check the goods and take them into your unit. There's no forklift: for a pallet delivery, book a haulier with a tail-lift and a pallet truck, or bring your own. A 2020 post on our blog mentions "pallet trucks available", but our site pages don't say which sites have one you can use; ask on 0800 2545585.
Our terms say you must not use the unit "as a home, business or mailing address", so don't put it on a delivery label as your address. If nobody can meet a delivery, have it sent to your business and bring it in yourself.
Collections, estates and working away
The same rule applies when a crew collects from your unit later: someone from your side lets them in and stays while they load.
If a house-clearance firm is bringing a late parent's things, a family member with their own access can meet them (see our guide to clearing an inherited house). If you're working away or overseas, our guide to managing a unit from overseas suggests "one trusted person in the UK who is authorised on your account"; set them up before you leave. Our guide to working abroad says the person present "could be your nominated UK contact". How do I pay for storage covers paying from an overseas card.
If there's no one to send
If you're moving into a care home, or your family is abroad, there may be nobody from your side who can be at the unit. Leaving the crew to load alone isn't an option, and our published pages don't offer another route for this case. Before you book the crew, call us on 0800 2545585 and ask whether someone you pay to act for you, who answers to you rather than to the removals firm, could be your authorised person at your site.
Questions to ask us before the day
Call us on 0800 2545585 before you book the crew:
- whether a stand-in can do your first move-in if you've never been to the site;
- whether an employee can have their own ongoing access, rather than a key for one day;
- who sets how long a temporary key lasts, and whether it can be set up in advance;
- whether the key you share gets your stand-in through the site's security doors as well as your unit door, and, as our move-in page says we "can supply you with a fob" if you don't have a smartphone, whether your stand-in can have one too;
- whether our cover applies between the van and your unit on moving day.
Booking your unit
If you haven't booked yet, get a price online, then call us on 0800 2545585 to tell us who'll be meeting the van, so we can help set up their access. If you still need a removals firm, we can put you in touch with our preferred removals; ask them whether they've moved customers into our sites before.
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