Yes, if your unit is at one of the three sites that have containers (Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster) and a container is free when you ask. Call us on 0800 2545585 to check, then move your things across yourself.
When you call, ask us first whether the container can simply replace your indoor unit on your existing agreement. If the container goes on a new agreement, it has its own two-week minimum stay and you give notice on the indoor unit (the period on your agreement, normally 14 days): time that notice to end soon after your moving day, so the weeks you pay for both stay short.
Where containers are, and what sizes
Most of our units are rooms inside our buildings. We have a limited number of outdoor steel containers, and only at these three sites. At the time of writing, our online quote lists these sizes:
| Site | Container sizes |
|---|---|
| Chipping Norton | 80 sq ft (10ft x 8ft) and 160 sq ft (20ft x 8ft) |
| Shipston-on-Stour | 160 sq ft (20ft x 8ft) |
| Warminster | 320 sq ft (40ft x 8ft) |
Because there are only a few, the question is usually whether one is free, not whether you're allowed. If none is free when you call, ask us to tell you when one comes free. Chipping Norton also has drive-up units (90, 180 and 440 sq ft), which give you the same pull-up loading if no container is free.
Indoor unit or container: how they compare
| Indoor unit | Container | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is | A room inside the building | Outdoor steel container |
| Loading | Carried in through the building | Drive up and load straight in |
| Size | Many sizes, depending on the site | The sizes in the table above |
| Price at Shipston | 150 sq ft ground floor: £77.50 a week (£310 per four weeks) | 160 sq ft: £64 a week (£256 per four weeks) |
| Security | Individually alarmed units | Chipping Norton and Shipston: access-controlled compound with CCTV. At Warminster, ask us |
| Weather and damp | Inside the building, out of the weather | Watertight. At Chipping Norton and Shipston we insulate the containers to stop condensation. We don't publish whether Warminster's containers are insulated, so ask us |
The prices come from our current price sheet. On Shipston's price list (the only one of the three sites whose list includes a container price; Chipping Norton's and Warminster's don't), the container gives you more space for less money: about 40p per sq ft a week, against about 52p for the 150 sq ft ground-floor room. Our Shipston page also advertises 50% off the first eight weeks on containers, which would make it £32 a week for those weeks. If you're switching, ask whether the offer applies to you, and check that it shows on your quote. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT.
Container prices for Chipping Norton and Warminster aren't on that sheet, so get a price online or call us for those.
What switching involves
A switch you ask for works like changing size, which our short answer on changing to a bigger or smaller unit covers. The steps:
- Call us to check a container is free and agree a start date. Ask whether the container goes on a new agreement or on your existing one, and, if you paid a deposit, whether it carries across. The same storage conditions apply either way: our terms count external storage containers as part of the facility.
- If the container is on a new agreement, give notice on the indoor unit. Notice must be in writing (by email, post or by hand), and the period is the one on the front of your agreement, normally 14 days. Unused days are refunded. Give it once the container's start date is agreed, timed to end soon after your moving day, and the overlap stays short.
- Move your things across yourself. When we ask a customer to move units, our terms say we pay approved removal costs. That clause doesn't cover a move you ask for, so plan the transport and labour. Do it in one session if you can. Containers are drive-up, so you can bring your car or van up to the container and load straight in, any day between 6am and 10pm (our answer on when you can get to your unit explains the access hours).
- Leave the indoor unit empty and clean by the end of the notice period. Otherwise our terms let us charge a cleaning fee or keep some or all of a deposit.
- Update your cover. Your goods must stay insured for their full replacement value. If you use your own insurer rather than our contents protection, tell them your things are moving into an outdoor container and check they still cover them.
- Bring the right lock. You're responsible for locking your unit. Container doors take a shutter padlock: our Box Shop sells an 82mm heavy-duty container shutter padlock for £36.
If your unit is at another site
A unit can't be transferred from one site to another. If you store at a site without containers, switching means ending that agreement and starting one at Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour or Warminster. Our guide on moving your unit to a different Wigwam site covers that.
Is a container right for your things?
Containers suit bulky, sturdy things: furniture from a house move, tools, equipment and business stock you'd rather load straight from a van. If you're storing paper, textiles or anything that marks with damp, plan how you'll keep the air dry. We don't offer climate-controlled storage, indoors or out, and portable heaters aren't allowed in any unit. Our terms make it your job to check a unit suits what you'll store in it, and advise you to inspect it first. If you need an exact size, confirm it with us before you sign, as unit sizes are approximate. For keeping a container dry, see do I need a dehumidifier in a container unit?
If you're ready to switch, call us on 0800 2545585, or get a price online for a container at your site.
Related questions