Document storage, also called archive storage, is keeping paper records you have to hold on to but rarely use, such as old accounts, client files and personnel records, somewhere other than your office or home. It comes in two forms: a self-storage unit that you organise and visit yourself, or a managed records service that boxes, indexes, retrieves and destroys files for you.
At Wigwam
Ours is the first kind. You rent a unit, you hold the access, and you file, find and remove your own boxes, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. Our document storage page says shelving "can be provided", without naming sites or a price, so ask about racking at your site when you book. The same page says units start as small as a locker. The indexing and retrieval are yours to do. If you need files fetched on request or destroyed with a certificate, ask us what we can arrange before you book, or look at a records management company.
One rule catches people out. Clause 18(i) of our terms says you must not store "currency, deeds and securities", so property deeds and share certificates can't go in a unit. Old business paperwork, closed files and archive boxes can.
What to check
- Plan your index before the boxes go in. Label each box on two sides with its contents and a destroy-by date, and keep the list somewhere other than the unit.
- Read clause 26: it makes you responsible for checking that a unit suits what you store and advises you to inspect it from time to time. Keep boxes off the floor, on the racking or on pallets.
- Records must be insured for their replacement value like any other goods (clause 31), so decide what that figure is for your files before you book.
Related terms: Business storage · Long-term storage · Storage locker · Contents protection
Related questions: Can I store cash, jewellery or other valuables? · What goods are prohibited from being stored at Wigwam?