Yes, an upright or a digital piano can go in one of our units, but a grand needs a phone call first. Our own guides say a standard upright fits a larger unit and our floor loading is "typically adequate for an upright", while a grand "is unlikely to fit" most of our units. Book a ground-floor or drive-up unit, have professional piano movers do the lifting, and call us on 0800 2545585 before you book anything upstairs, because we don't publish the size or limits of our lifts. Our units aren't climate-controlled, so stand the piano against an inside wall with space around it, wrap it in blankets rather than plastic, insure it for what it would cost to replace, and plan a tuning a few weeks after it comes out.
Storing a parent's piano, or adding one to a unit you already rent? See the end of the page.
Upright, grand or digital: what fits
| Piano | Can it go in a unit? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Upright | Yes. Our sizing guide says an upright takes "about 15 square feet of floor and cannot be stacked on" | Ground floor or drive-up; stored standing upright, never on its side |
| Baby grand or grand | Call first. Our guides say a grand is unlikely to fit most of our units | Call 0800 2545585 with its length, width and height, and whether it will travel on a piano shoe, before booking anything |
| Digital piano or stage keyboard | Yes | Treat it as electronics: dry, covered, off the floor |
Our antique furniture guide says "Uprights must be stored upright, never on their side", because the strings run vertically under tension. A baby grand or grand is different. A grand is usually stored on its side on a piano shoe (Edwards Removals), a job for specialists. We don't publish door or unit dimensions, so we can't say from here whether a particular grand will go in; that's what the call is for.
For guitars, violins and other instruments, see can I store musical instruments?
Getting it in: ground floor, drive-up or a lift
A piano belongs on the ground floor, ideally where you can drive up to the door. Drive-up units are a limited selection at Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster.
Ask us before booking an upper floor, for an upright too. The first floor at Leatherhead is stairs only, and our price list marks the Chipping Norton mezzanine "No lift". Where a site has a lift, we don't publish its size or weight limit, so ask whether a piano will go in.
For an upright on its own, our packing guide says it will fit "a larger unit", so give us its height, width and depth and we'll confirm which ground-floor size takes it. Where the ground floor starts at 50 sq ft, as at Alton and March, that's the size to book. If you're storing other furniture too, the piano needs "about 15 square feet of floor and cannot be stacked on", as our sizing guide puts it.
On our 23 September 2026 price list, March lists a ground-floor 50 sq ft unit at £20.50 a week (£82 per four weeks) before any offer. Offers shown on the price list and the location page differ, so check your quote. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT.
Prices vary by site and floor, and offers vary by site; get a price online for your site. Our minimum term is two weeks, so a stay of a few months is fine: see can I rent a storage unit for just a week? If your site lists a restricted-height floor, ask before booking a piano there.
More on floors and lifts and weight.
Use professional piano movers
You mustn't "cause damage to the Unit or any part of the Facility (which includes by removal, haulage or delivery contractors)" (clause 22(f)), so a scraped wall or a damaged door caused by your movers is yours to put right, whatever the piano. For any piano, use movers who have moved pianos before and carry a piano trolley, and ask whether their insurance covers the building as well as the piano. Steinway's care guide, written for its own pianos, says to "only allow specialist carriers to transport your piano".
Don't plan on help or lifting equipment from us on the day: ask us what equipment your site has, and book movers who bring their own. If you'd like a name, we can put you in touch with local removals firms we recommend.
Where it stands in the unit, and humidity
A piano is mostly wood and felt. Steinway gives ideal conditions as "a constant temperature of 20°C and humidity between 45% and 70%" and says "Large swings in humidity should be avoided". Our units aren't heated, cooled or climate-controlled, and we don't control or publish the humidity inside them. What you control is where the piano stands and how it's wrapped.
- Keep it off outside walls where you can. Stand it against an inside partition with a gap behind it so air can move. If you can't tell which wall of your unit is an outside wall, ask us.
- Get it off bare concrete. Our antique furniture guide says "Concrete breathes moisture" and puts "pallets, wooden boards, or four-inch plinths under anything upholstered or with wooden feet"; ask your movers to set the piano on boards.
- Wrap it in heavy furniture blankets, not plastic. Close the lid to keep dust out.
- Keep a small battery hygrometer on it, and look in from time to time. You can't plug in a dehumidifier without our say-so (clause 22(e)). Our page on dehumidifiers and condensation covers moisture absorbers.
When a standard unit isn't right: our own guides say "Instruments made from solid wood, pianos particularly, can be sensitive to temperature swings over a long winter", and "If these items genuinely require it, a specialist storage operator is the honest recommendation". Several piano firms offer humidity-controlled storage; for an antique or valuable piano, or a long winter, compare that first.
A hygrometer only helps if someone reads it: if you'll be away for months, our terms say "Only You or Your Agents may access the Unit" (clause 14), so give a relative or friend access of their own to look in.
Digital pianos are electronics
A digital piano has no strings to go out of tune, but it has circuit boards. Yamaha's manual for its P-45 says "Do not expose the instrument to rain, use it near water or in damp or wet conditions" and warns against "extreme cold or heat". Take it off its stand and store the stand separately. Keep it in its box or a padded cover, on boards or a pallet rather than the concrete floor, with nothing on top. Our climate-control guide says "There is no power supply inside a storage unit", and our terms bar connecting any utilities without our say-so (clause 22(e)), so you can't plug it in there.
An electric organ is electronics like a digital piano, and it's heavier, so ask us about a ground-floor unit.
Tuning after storage
Expect an acoustic piano to need tuning when it comes out. Our antique furniture guide suggests letting it settle for "a few weeks" before calling the tuner, because the wood and soundboard adjust to the new room, and says "One tuning appointment a month or so after reinstallation is the practical approach."
Insurance
Your goods are stored "at Your sole risk and responsibility", including "deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason" (clause 30), so damage from damp is yours to insure. Our terms make it a condition that your goods "remain adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value (as set out on the Cover Sheet)" (clause 31). You can take our Contents Protection or use your own policy. Include the piano at what a like-for-like replacement would cost, and if you rely on home insurance, check its limit for items stored away from home and, if you teach or perform on it, whether the policy covers business equipment. A church or parochial church council (PCC) should check its own insurance covers instruments held in storage. For a low-value upright kept for a short stay, you may decide climate-controlled piano storage isn't proportionate; clause 31 still requires your goods to "remain adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value". Our guide to how much contents cover you need explains the figure.
Storing a piano for someone else, or adding one to your unit
The same rules apply to a parent's or an estate's piano (storing someone else's belongings), and if you already rent with us, call before it arrives: we can move you to another unit if one is available.
What to tell us when you call
- the type of piano, and its length or depth, width and height;
- which floor you'd like, so we can tell you whether the lift will take it;
- for a teacher, school or church, how many instruments and the dimensions of each, including any organ console or speaker cabinets.
Call 0800 2545585, or for an upright or digital on the ground floor, get a price online and ask for a ground-floor unit.
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