After you book, you verify your ID with a photo and a selfie and have a recent utility bill ready, then pay a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent plus your first four weeks' rent. We then email you a storage agreement to sign digitally, with instructions for getting into the site, and text you instructions for setting up smart entry on your phone. You must sign the agreement before you move in. Moving in the same day can work if the size you need is free, but it isn't guaranteed, so if you need the unit today, call 0800 2545585 before you load the van. If you book for someone else or for a business, the ID check and payment are the booker's.
What happens after you book
After the quote steps (location, unit, price, summary):
- You verify your identity: a photo of your passport or driving licence, and a selfie the check matches against it. Our booking guidance also asks for "a copy of a recent utility bill". See what ID you need.
- You pay a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate, your first four weeks' rent, and your first contents protection charge if you take ours. The quote shows the exact amounts before you pay. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. Clause 5 says we take the first payment "on acceptance of Your order".
- We email your storage agreement "for a digital signature, and instructions on how to access the Storage Facility". Sign it before your move-in day.
- Before your move-in date, you get a text with instructions for setting up smart entry on your phone.
- Clause 31 requires your goods to be insured from day one, and our insurance FAQ says "All customers require contents protection for their stored goods": take ours, or "arrange insurance at your own expense". With your own policy, "we will refund you the Goods Protection charges in full once proof of cover is supplied within 14 days of your move-in".
After that, rent is charged every four weeks, 13 payments a year (when you're charged). The deposit comes back within 21 days of your agreement ending, less any deductions (clause 4; deposits in full).
If you don't have your ID to hand, the check fails, or you have a question before signing, choose Reserve a Unit, and "a member of our team will contact you during our office hours".
What it costs, as a guide
For four weeks, the median (middle value) of the listed prices on our September 2026 price lists is about £78 for 25 sq ft (listed prices run from £44 to £188 across sites) and about £143 for 50 sq ft (£82 to £304), before any introductory offer. At those medians the deposit (two weeks' rent at the standard rate) is about £39 for 25 sq ft and £71.50 for 50 sq ft. Some sites list smaller units too. Contents cover is required on top, ours or your own, and your quote is the price that counts. A January 2020 post on our blog listed Chipping Norton containers "Starting at just £100 +VAT"; ask on 0800 2545585 which basis applies to your quote.
Can you move in the same day?
Sometimes. Our guide to booking notice says "same-day move-in is often possible if the right size is free". These have to line up:
| What | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Your ID check goes through first time | If it fails, the booking moves to Reserve a Unit, picked up in office hours | Have your passport or driving licence ready |
| Your agreement is signed and smart entry is set up | You must sign before moving in; smart entry gets you in | Book as early in the day as you can |
| You arrive inside access hours | Access is normally 6am to 10pm | Check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book |
Office hours vary by site; your site's page gives them and its local number. Cheltenham's page lists storage access of 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends and bank holidays, and also "Unlimited Free Access: 6am to 10pm", so confirm Cheltenham's access hours when you book. If you're unsure about smart entry, our move-in guide recommends moving in during office hours, "where we can be reached on the phone for any queries".
Booked last night, moving in this morning?
How long the agreement email and smart entry text take to arrive isn't published. If they haven't reached you by morning, check your spam folder, then call 0800 2545585 when your site's office opens, before you set off, and ask whether you can get in before either is sorted.
Booking ahead instead? The online booking page says "You can book your unit up to 2 weeks in advance of your move-in date"; for longer, or if nothing has arrived a few days before your move, call 0800 2545585.
On moving day
Our online quote says a smart mobile phone is essential to get into your unit, and our move-in guide says that if you don't have one, "we can supply you with a fob instead": ask us about a fob before you book.
At Chipping Norton, the guide asks you to "bring a padlock to secure your unit or you can buy a keyed or combination one from our reception", and your unit's alarm is set by your own PIN. Where your site's page says smart entry opens the unit, you don't need a padlock. If your site's page doesn't say how its units are locked, ring 0800 2545585 before move-in day to check whether you need to bring a padlock.
Using a removals firm? Someone from your side has to be there: our notice guide says "a removals crew cannot be left to load into the unit without you" (removals firms and drop-offs). We don't accept, receive or sign for deliveries, so the same goes for couriers.
Booking for someone else, a business or a second unit
For a parent, student or relative, the person who books is the customer, so the ID check and payment are yours. The smart entry text goes to the mobile number given at booking; ask us how the person who'll use the unit gets their own access at your site (sharing access). Our guide for parents booking student storage covers that case.
If you book for a business, the person booking goes through the same ID check and pays; ask before you book whether the agreement can be in the company's name. Whether your invoice shows VAT you can reclaim isn't published; ask on 0800 2545585.
Already storing with us and adding a unit? Ask whether your details carry over.
If your plans change
If you booked "without physically coming into the Facility", clause 40 gives you "14 days after We confirm acceptance of Your order to change Your mind". Cancel in that time and "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". Book more than 14 days ahead and it can close before you move in. See cancellation rights.
Questions to ask us
Call 0800 2545585 and ask:
- whether the size you need is free today;
- whether your unit, or your container, needs your own padlock, and how you get into a container;
- whether you can get in before your agreement is signed or smart entry is set up, if either is running late;
- whether a partner can have smart entry too;
- for a business, whether the agreement can be in the company's name and whether the 14 days to change your mind applies.
Ready to book
Get a price online, or if the van's booked for today, ring 0800 2545585 first. To choose a site, find your nearest.
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