Yes. You can give a family member, friend or colleague their own access, so they can get into the site and your unit without you. Share a digital key with them through smart entry, or email us their details and we'll set them up. Anyone who comes with you needs nothing set up at all. What doesn't change is whose unit it is: it stays in your name, and our terms make you responsible for what anyone you let in does there, just as if you'd done it yourself.
Our short answer to whether anyone else can access your unit is that you control who has permission. Here's how that works.
Who counts as someone you've "let in"
Our terms say: "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit." An agent here isn't a professional. The terms define it as anyone "who you authorise, or who accompany you, to access the Unit". So there are two kinds:
- People with you: a friend helping you carry a sofa, or a colleague on a stock run with you. They're covered by being with you.
- People going without you: your son clearing space on a Saturday, your apprentice collecting tools at 6am. They need access of their own.
How to add someone
There are two routes:
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Share a digital key in smart entry. You can send someone a key for a limited period, which suits a one-off job. At Cheltenham, Lincoln, Tewkesbury and Warminster our site pages say you can also make a key permanent. At other sites, ask when you book whether a permanent key is possible: it matters if a business partner or member of staff needs access for as long as you have the unit, rather than a key you have to renew.
If someone needs access for weeks, for example while you recover from an operation, don't let a limited key run out halfway. Ask us how long a limited key can run. If you set the end date yourself, set it well past the longest you might need; or email us their details instead and ask us to confirm their access won't lapse before you're back.
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Email us their name and contact details, and we'll set them up on the system so they can let themselves in.
If you're not sure which works at your site, or you'd rather we did it, call us on 0800 2545585.
Before their first visit, make sure they have:
- smart entry set up on their own phone, tested before they travel (if they don't have a smartphone, ask us what we can offer);
- the site address and your unit number;
- the hours: normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page). Our sites are unmanned, so there's nobody on site to let them in, show them round or hand anything over;
- a photo ID. Our terms let us ask anyone at the site for proof of identity and refuse access to someone who can't show it.
Smart entry sets and unsets your unit's alarm as they arrive and leave, the same as it does for you (at Chipping Norton the alarm uses a PIN code, so they'll need that too). Some of our site pages say entries to your unit are logged (see who can see when you come and go).
Don't hand over your own phone or login: give them access of their own. Our terms say anyone you let in should be your own agent, answerable to you and under your control, and that letting in anyone else is at your own risk. Access in their own name keeps it clear who's who, and it can be taken away without changing yours.
What you stay responsible for
When someone else visits, the rules in your agreement still apply to you. These are the ones that matter most:
| The rule (our terms) | What it means when someone else goes in |
|---|---|
| You're responsible and liable for your agents' actions, to us and to other customers (clause 14) | If they damage a door or block a corridor, that's on your account |
| You must not store, or allow anyone else to store, prohibited goods (clause 18) | Tell them what can't go in: petrol, gas, paint and other flammable substances, among others. See the prohibited goods list |
| You're solely responsible for keeping the unit locked whenever you're not in it (clause 21) | Make sure they lock up every time they walk away, even for a minute |
| The unit is for storage only, for you and anyone you allow in (clause 22) | A colleague can collect stock, but nobody can use the unit as an office or a home, or give it as an address |
| The total value in the unit mustn't exceed your insured value (clause 31) | If they bring things in, check your replacement value still covers everything |
| You compensate us for losses caused by a breach by you or your agents (clause 32) | Choose people you'd trust with your own liability |
If something goes missing and you think someone you authorised was involved, check with your insurer what your cover says about that before you rely on it.
The account itself stays with you too: billing, the deposit and notice all run through the account holder. Giving someone access is a separate thing from the account and its payments, so if someone will be paying for you while you're away or unwell, ask us how to set that up. If you'd like someone else to be able to give notice for you, tell us, and we'll note them as an authorised contact.
Family, colleagues, and a removals crew
Family. Siblings clearing a parent's home, or sorting things after a parent moves into care, can each have their own access and visit on their own schedule. If you're working away or overseas, one trusted person at home can handle the unit for you; our guide to managing a unit from overseas covers that set-up in full.
Colleagues and staff. A small business or trade team can give named staff their own access to collect stock or tools. Keep the list to the people who need it, because each of them acts on your account. If you need access for several people, tell us how many when you book and we'll confirm it works at your site. Our guide to secure tool storage for tradespeople has more on sharing a unit across a team.
A removals crew or courier. Our guide to how much notice you need to book storage for a move is clear that "a removals crew cannot be left to load into the unit without you", so someone from your side needs to be there: you, or someone you've given their own access. Nobody from Wigwam can let them in, sign for anything or check what goes in. More on this in whether a removals firm can drop off at your unit without you.
Partners. If you're separating, we recommend a unit each, in each person's own name, rather than sharing one. Our guide to self-storage during a divorce or separation explains why.
Taking someone off, and when life changes
To remove someone, for example when a member of staff leaves, email us or call 0800 2545585 and we'll update who has access. A key shared for a limited period ends on its own. When you set someone up, ask us whether you can also switch their key off yourself in smart entry, so you know in advance how quickly you can act if you need to. Keep your list current: we can't appoint someone for you or decide anything about your belongings on your behalf.
If you might not be able to manage the unit yourself because of illness or age, it helps to set up access for a trusted person while you can. You don't need a power of attorney to let a relative into your unit: adding them as described above is enough. A lasting power of attorney matters for something different, if you can no longer run your own affairs. A property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney lets someone you choose make decisions about your money and property, such as paying bills. GOV.UK explains how to make one. If an attorney is acting for you, they should call us.
If the account holder dies, tell us as soon as you can. What happens to the unit and who can deal with it is covered in what happens to a storage unit when the renter dies.
Ready to book?
If you need a unit more than one person can use, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585, and tell us who else will need access when you book.
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