Yes. When you book, you pay a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate, plus your first four weeks' rent. The quote shows the exact amounts before you pay. Under clause 4 of the terms, the deposit is refunded by cheque or bank transfer within 21 days of your agreement ending. Any unpaid fees, or the cost of cleaning or repairs, is deducted first. To get all of it back, give written notice, leave the unit empty and clean by your end date, and make sure nothing is owed.
What the terms say, word for word
Clause 4 of our storage agreement is the main rule:
"You must pay the Deposit on signing this Agreement. The Deposit (or the balance of it after any appropriate deductions for unpaid Fees, repairs, cleaning or other charges to put right any breach of this Agreement by You) will be refunded by cheque or electronic transfer within 21 days of termination of this Agreement."
In plain words: you pay it at the start, it's held while you store, and what's left after any money owed is paid back to you within 21 days of the agreement ending. The terms name cheque or electronic transfer; they don't mention a refund to your card.
What you pay on day one
The quote's payment summary lists three things, and its total is those three added together, with no VAT added on top:
| Up-front item | How it's worked out |
|---|---|
| Deposit | Two weeks' rent at the unit's standard weekly rate |
| First four weeks' rent | The four-week price, after any introductory offer |
| Contents protection | Based on the replacement value of your goods, if you take our cover |
Because the deposit uses the standard rate, an introductory offer lowers your first four weeks but not the deposit. With a big enough discount, the deposit can be more than the rent you pay up front.
For a sense of scale, take a 25 sq ft unit (a spare room, or a few pieces and boxes). The median (middle value) of the listed prices on our September 2026 price lists is £19.50 a week, before any introductory offer; prices include VAT and nothing is added at checkout, so the deposit works out at about £39. Listed standard rates for that size run from £11 to £47 a week depending on the site and floor, so the deposit could be anywhere from £22 to £94. Four weeks' rent at the same median is £78, with a range of £44 to £188. Your quote gives the real figure for your unit.
You also need contents cover: ours, charged in your quote, or your own policy. Our insurance FAQ says "All customers require contents protection for their stored goods", and you can either accept our contents protection cover or "arrange insurance at your own expense". If you start on our cover and then show your own policy, the same FAQ says "we will refund you the Goods Protection charges in full once proof of cover is supplied within 14 days of your move-in". The charge for our cover isn't published as a rate; it appears in your quote once you enter the value of your goods. After the first four weeks, rent (and our cover, if you take it) is charged automatically every four weeks, which is 13 payments a year. See when you'll be charged.
What can come off the deposit
The deposit is security for money that would otherwise have to be chased after you've gone. The terms name four situations:
| Situation | What the terms allow | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Money still owed when the agreement ends | Deduct "unpaid Fees, repairs, cleaning or other charges to put right any breach", then refund the balance | 4 |
| Unit left dirty or damaged | "retain the Deposit, charge a Cleaning Fee, and/or claim full reimbursement from You of the reasonable costs of repairs, replacement, restoration, proper compensation or disposal of refuse" | 23 |
| Less notice than your agreement requires | "retain from the Deposit, or make a charge for, apportioned Storage Fees" (a share of the fees for the notice you didn't give) | 41 |
| Payments missed during the agreement | "apply the Deposit against the Debt" | 6(c) |
Clause 23 goes further than a deduction: for dirt or damage it lets us keep the deposit and still recover reasonable costs beyond it. Clause 5 also makes you responsible for "a Late Payment Fee each time a payment is late or cancelled", and for the costs of collecting late or unpaid fees, so an account that fell behind can reduce a deposit even if you leave the unit spotless. The amounts of the Late Payment Fee and the Cleaning Fee are not published; ask on 0800 2545585 if you want them before you book.
Leaving: how to get the deposit back in full
- Give written notice. Clause 39 names the routes for formal notices: email info@wigwamstorage.co.uk, or deliver or post it to the address on your Cover Sheet (the front page of your agreement). An emailed notice counts as received one day after you send it. Your end date must be at least the number of days shown on the Cover Sheet away; our move-out guide says this is "Normally 14 days". How to give notice to leave explains how to count the days.
- Empty and clean the unit by your end date. Clause 41 asks you to remove everything "before the close of business on the Termination Date" and leave the unit "in a clean condition and in a good state of repair". Our move-out guide asks you to leave it "clean, tidy and in the same condition as at the commencement date". Do I need to leave the unit clean? covers what that means in practice.
- Settle anything owing. Keep payments running to the end date and clear any balance.
- Tell us you've gone. Our move-out guide asks you to "send us an email to confirm" once you've vacated. In the same email, ask us to confirm in writing that the unit was left clean and undamaged, so you have a record if a deduction is ever raised.
- Say where to send it. Because the refund is by cheque or electronic transfer, include your bank details or a postal address.
When the money arrives
Within 21 days of the agreement ending. The clock starts on your end date, not on the day you send notice.
Unused days are a separate refund. Our move-out guide says we will "refund you your deposit and any unused days on your contract after the notice period". The 21-day limit in clause 4 is for the deposit; ask when you give notice how your unused days will be worked out and whether both refunds will arrive together.
If you booked without visiting and cancel within 14 days of acceptance, clause 40 says "a refund will be provided based on the length of storage You have taken prior to cancelling and all Goods being removed from the Unit"; it doesn't say how the deposit is treated, so ask on 0800 2545585. See cancellation rights.
If the deposit hasn't reached you 21 days after your end date, call us on 0800 2545585. If part of it was kept back, ask which clause it was kept under and how the amount was worked out. If you still disagree after that, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) can tell you where you stand.
Storing for a business, charity or landlord
The deposit works the same way for a business account: two weeks' standard rent, held under clause 4 and refunded on the same terms. Clause 5 says "We do not normally bill for Fees but will issue an electronic invoice following payment". Whether that invoice shows VAT you can reclaim is not published; ask on 0800 2545585 before you book if it matters to your accounts.
Clearing a relative's unit
If the customer has died, the deposit is still refundable under clause 4 when the agreement ends. Until the grant (probate, or letters of administration) comes through, expect us to need proof of your authority before we release access to the unit, so ring us on 0800 2545585 before anyone visits, and agree who the refund should be paid to. Who pays for storage while an estate is sorted out covers the wider picture.
Behind on payments
If money is owed while you're still storing, clause 6(c) lets us apply the deposit against it, which leaves less, or nothing, to come back at the end. What happens if I miss a payment covers what happens next.
Is a storage deposit protected like a rent deposit?
No. GOV.UK says a landlord must use a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme if you rent your home on an assured periodic tenancy, but a storage agreement is a licence to use a unit (our terms call it a Self Storage Licence Agreement), so what protects you is clause 4 and the written terms above.
Check your figure before you book
Get a price online to see the deposit, first four weeks and cover for your unit at your nearest site before you pay anything. For any question about the deposit, call us on 0800 2545585.
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