No animal can be stored in a unit, for any length of time: our terms rule out "any living creatures" (clause 18(b)), and that covers pets, fish, reptiles, birds and insects alike. No living plants either; for seeds, bulbs and dried flowers, ask us first. Our terms are silent on plants, but our prohibited-goods list, location pages and what-you-can-store guide say no: our list of prohibited goods names "any plants or creatures whether living or dead", our location pages name "any plants or creatures (living or dead)", and our guide to what you can store says "Live animals, plants, animal remains, or taxidermy are not allowed". Empty pet cages, hutches and fish tanks are ordinary goods once they're clean and dry.
If you're moving house, clearing a relative's home, storing stock for a business, or already have a unit, there's a section for you below.
The rule, and where our pages go further
| Item | Our terms (clause 18) | What our other pages say |
|---|---|---|
| Pets and any other animal, insect or fish | Not allowed: "any living creatures" | Not allowed |
| Living plants, including houseplants and potted trees | Not named | Not allowed: "any plants" (prohibited-goods list and location pages); "plants … are not allowed" (our what-you-can-store guide) |
| Seeds, bulbs, tubers, dried or pressed flowers | Not named | Listed: "whether living or dead" (prohibited-goods list); "(living or dead)" (location pages). Ask us first |
| Animal remains and taxidermy | Not named | Not allowed: "Live animals, plants, animal remains, or taxidermy are not allowed" (our what-you-can-store guide) |
| Empty cages, hutches, tanks, vivariums, pet beds | Not named | Not listed |
| Pet food | Only if "securely packed" against vermin (clause 18(a)) | "Food or perishable Goods" listed |
Where an item isn't named in the terms but our pages list it, ask us first on 0800 2545585 and we'll tell you what applies to your item.
Pets, fish tanks and vivariums
This one is a flat no. Clause 18 says you must not store "(or allow any other person to store)" any living creature, so it covers a pet left there however briefly. The law points the same way: section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires the person responsible for an animal to take "such steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of an animal … are met to the extent required by good practice", and those needs include "its need for a suitable environment". A locked storage unit isn't one.
Their equipment is a different matter. Goods are stored at your sole risk (clause 30), so wrap the glass of a tank or vivarium, keep it upright and stack nothing on it. Drain a fish tank completely and let it dry before it goes in, because our units aren't heated or climate-controlled and water left inside things is how damp starts (see do storage units get cold in winter or hot in summer?). Store filters, pumps, hoses and heat lamps with the tank, clean and fully dry: wet filter media left in a closed unit can bring damp and smells, and our terms rule out "any item that emits fumes, or odours" (clause 18(f)). None of it can be run there: you can't connect power or other services to a unit unless we've authorised it (clause 22(e)). Vivariums and terrariums go in like tanks, empty of substrate, soil and any live plants. Cages, hutches, carriers and beds go in clean.
Pet food counts as food, so it can only come in securely packed against pests. Our guide to storing food explains how, and why to check with us first.
Houseplants and garden plants when you move
If there's a gap between homes, the plants need a home of their own for that gap: a friend, a neighbour, a relative, or the new garden early if you can get access.
A plant needs light and water, and nobody is there to give it either between your visits. Our guide to what you can and can't store says a plant left in a unit "will die and decay", bringing moisture and then mould that can spread to your things and your neighbours'. Rotting matter also smells, and our terms rule out "any item that emits fumes, or odours" (clause 18(f)).
Empty pots, planters, garden furniture and hand tools are fine once they're clean and free of soil. Our guide to storing garden furniture over winter covers preparing them. Weedkiller and pesticides are another story: our prohibited-items guide names them, and clause 18(e) rules out "chemicals". Bagged compost and potting mix stay out too: the same guide lists "compost" alongside "anything that will decay". A petrol strimmer or mower can go in only once it's run dry: clause 18(c) names "petrol", and the guide says "Petrol-powered equipment must be run completely dry before storage" and "A small residue of petrol is still petrol." Fuel cans stay out.
Seeds, bulbs and dried flowers
Here our terms are silent and our list is not. Seeds, bulbs and dried arrangements aren't named in the terms, but our prohibited-goods list covers plants "whether living or dead" and our what-you-can-store guide says "Storing any living or once-living things is both unethical and unsafe". Our own guides for florists and online sellers point the other way on dried stock: the florist guide says our units "suit dry floristry stock" and names "dry decorative materials", and our guide for Etsy sellers lists "dried flowers" among supplies a unit can hold. Because our pages disagree, a call to us settles it for your item.
For bulbs, the Royal Horticultural Society advises drying them "to help prevent fungal rots developing in storage" and keeping them in paper bags or nets "in a dry, cool place". Dahlia tubers are different again: the RHS says they "usually need to be stored in a frost-free place over winter". Our units aren't heated or temperature-controlled, so they can't promise cool in summer or frost-free in winter; a frost-free spot at home or with a friend is safer.
Clearing a relative's home, or storing for someone else
Clearing a parent's house, look room by room for houseplants, fish, bulbs, seed tins and dried flowers. Rehome the living ones before packing, and set the dried and seed items aside to ask us about. If a removals firm loads the unit, or you book one for a student, the rule on animals, and our published list on plants, still falls on you: clause 18 says you mustn't "allow any other person to store" any living creature.
Florists, growers and garden businesses
Gardeners and garden-maintenance firms: pots, tools, compost and petrol kit are covered under houseplants and garden plants above; the rest of this section is for florists.
A unit works for the kit around the flowers: vases, arches, stands, ribbon, wire and floral foam. Our guide to storage for florists, stylists and hire companies names "floral foam and oasis, wire, ribbon, tape, paper, dry decorative materials" as things that store well. Our prohibited-goods list rules out live plant stock, and dried flower, seed or artificial flower stock needs our answer first, for the reasons above.
Keep spray paint and adhesive sprays out. Clause 18(c) names "paint" among "combustible or flammable substances", and the florist guide lists "aerosol spray paints and adhesives" among what "does not belong in any storage unit".
The unit is for storage only, not a workshop, office or business address: clause 22 says you'll use it "solely for the purpose of storage", and 22(a) rules out using it "as offices or living accommodation or as a home, business or mailing address". Anything that deteriorates in storage does so at your own risk (clause 30), and clause 30(a) excludes our liability for "loss or damage to Your business, if any, including consequential loss, lost profits or business interruption".
Already stored something?
If you've put a plant in your unit, take it out on your next visit (access is normally 6am to 10pm; check your site's page). If it has died, clear the soil and leaves and check nearby boxes for damp. If an animal of any kind is in your unit, call us straight away on 0800 2545585. If a creature has found its own way in, our guide to whether mice can get into a storage unit covers keeping them out.
If you break the agreement, you must compensate us for the costs that follow, including those incurred by other people (clause 32).
Questions to ask us
- Can I store seeds, dormant bulbs or dried and pressed flowers?
- Can I store dahlia tubers or other dormant plant material over winter?
- Can I store artificial or silk flowers?
- Can I store cork bark, branches or wooden decor from a vivarium or tank?
- Is my item, such as a preserved bouquet or bird seed, allowed, and how should it be packed?
Call 0800 2545585, or put the question in your quote request when you get a price online.
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