If the size you need is free, you can book and move in the same day: our guide "How much notice do you need to book self storage for a move?" says "Once your booking is confirmed, smart entry is available from 6am the same day". Customers on our Reading, Bromsgrove, Marlow and Alton pages describe being ready to move in between about 40 minutes and an hour after deciding or first calling. We don't publish a loading time, because it depends on how much you bring, which floor your unit is on and how many of you are carrying. Our notice guide says access until 10pm "gives most movers enough of a window to load across a full day" (check your own site's hours below). Students, businesses and anyone using a removals firm have their own sections below.
From booking to getting in
You can do most of this before the day. How far ahead you can book is stated two ways: our online booking says "You can book your unit up to 2 weeks in advance of your move-in date", while our notice guide says you can book "as far in advance as you like", adding that "most people book one to two weeks before their move-in date". If your date is more than two weeks off, call us on 0800 2545585. The steps are:
- Verify your identity. Our online booking asks for your passport or driving licence plus a selfie, which our identity check (Stripe Identity) matches. Our short answer "How do I book my unit?" lists "two forms of ID, a photo one and a copy of a recent utility bill". Have both to hand. If you don't have a utility bill in your name, ask us what we'll accept when you book.
- Make your first payment and set up ongoing payments.
- Sign the storage agreement we email you. You must sign it before you move in.
- Set up smart entry from the text we send. Our move-in guide says you'll get it "Before your move in date".
If you don't have a smartphone, tell us when you book and we can supply a fob instead. Our step-by-step guide to what happens after you book covers each step in full. If friends or family are helping you carry, see whether you have to be there on moving-in day for sharing smart entry with them.
Can it all happen on the day? Our notice guide says: "Yes, if the size you need is available." Four customer reviews give a feel for how fast that can be: at Reading, "set up within about 40 minutes"; at Bromsgrove, "within a space of 45 minutes the storage unit was ready to move stuff in"; at Marlow, "setup in about an hour"; and at Alton, "Less then an hour after our first call we were already putting boxes" into the unit. Those are individual experiences, not a promise. If you're booking late, call 0800 2545585 in office hours before you load the van.
What slows you down
We don't publish loading times by unit size or van load. To estimate your own, time your first run from the vehicle to your unit and back, then multiply by the number of trolley loads you expect. A second person helps more than it sounds: one can stay with the load while the other goes back. Our guide to what should go in first, and what last saves re-stacking.
| Factor | What we know | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Upstairs unit | Reviews or pages mention a lift at Alton, Bath, Bromsgrove, Burton-on-Trent, Dorking, Lincoln, March and Tewkesbury | Book the ground floor for heavy items, and confirm the lift for your unit when you book |
| Trolleys | Reviews on our location pages mention trolleys, and Leatherhead's page lists "Free use of trolley & loading equipment" | Bring a sack truck for heavy furniture; see trolleys by site |
| Automatic doors | An Alton reviewer found the doors closed before they could load a trolley and get back; another was "assured that it is possible to slow down the door closures" | Ask us about the door timing at your site before a big load |
| Parking | You can park for free while you unload in the customer car park | For a large van, ask where to park |
| Drive-up units | Our drive-up page: "With no lifts, trolleys or long corridors, you can drive straight up to your unit". Chipping Norton and Warminster have drive-up units and containers; Shipston-on-Stour has containers with drive-up access | Ask whether one is free; see drive-up storage |
| Shared corridors | Items "left unattended in common areas" count as abandoned (clause 11) | Take each load straight into your unit |
Fitting it into access hours
Access is normally 6am to 10pm, seven days a week (check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book). Cheltenham's page shows two sets of hours: "6am to 10pm" in its features list, and, beside its address under the label "Storage Access:", "Monday to Friday – 8:00am to 6:00pm Weekend and Bank Holidays – 10:00am to 4:00pm". On the second set, a Friday move would have to finish by 6pm. Until we confirm which applies, call us on 0800 2545585 before planning a long day there. Our terms let us change access hours temporarily (clause 12), and outside normal hours you can only get in if we've agreed extended access with you, "subject to You paying any relevant additional charges" (clause 13), so an overnight drop won't work unless it's agreed in advance.
Office hours vary by site; check your site's page. Office hours are shorter than access hours, so for an evening move, set up and test smart entry before your site's office closes. If it's your first visit, our move-in guide recommends moving in during office hours "if you are in any doubt", so there's someone to call if smart entry gives you trouble.
Students and parents moving a room's worth
Our parents' guide to booking student storage says "A small unit easily handles a few boxes of books, a suitcase or two of clothes, a desk lamp, a kettle and a bicycle." For loading, our summer sort-out guide advises: "Treat it as one loaded run with the sort-out done in advance, and you will usually clear it in a single visit." Decide what's going home, to charity or into storage before the car is at the door. If a parent is booking, ask which mobile number the smart entry text will go to, so it reaches whoever will be at the unit. End of term is busy: our notice guide says "On a Friday at the end of June, with three other movers all wanting the same size, the position may be different", so book as soon as you know your date.
Businesses and removals firms
If you're a business moving stock in, be there, or send someone with access, when a supplier or haulier arrives: see whether you have to be there on moving-in day. Check your stock before it goes in. Clause 18 of our terms says you must not store "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases", "food or perishable goods unless securely packed so they are protected from and do not attract vermin", or "any item that emits fumes, or odours". Our guide to flammable stock for businesses covers the detail.
If a removals firm is moving you, our notice guide says: "If you are using a removals firm, someone from your household needs to be there." Give the firm your floor, lift, parking and access hours; our moving-in day guide covers the rest.
Moving-day checklist
- Agreement signed and smart entry working (or a fob arranged) before the van is loaded.
- Your site's access hours confirmed (at Cheltenham, confirm which set applies).
- Ground floor or a lift confirmed for heavy items; a sack truck if you have one.
- Boxes packed and labelled the day before.
- A second person to carry and to stay with the load.
- Heaviest and least-needed items planned for the back of the unit.
- Contents cover in place: ours, or proof of your own policy.
Ready to book
Get a price online and pick your date, or find your nearest site. If the van is booked for today, call us on 0800 2545585 first to check the size you need is free.
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