Storage Rentals...Good Idea or Waste...

The only time we used them was when we were moving from our duplex to our house when we came here. Then the fridge got ruined, and we had to buy a new one. I only recommend them for emergencies, like when you cannot get into your house for a certain time, but to keep the stuff and pay rent on it, when you could easily distribute it among your relatives or to have stuff to sell on ebay, that does not seem right.

I think the rental storage areas are a waste of money because if the items aren't enjoyed at least once a year then it's a waste of space. That's how my hubby and I keep our clutter down, if we use it once a year then it stays otherwise it's out the door. No need for storage building rent.

for people who need them it is a good idea, sometimes you don\t want to throw away your stuff and have to go out and buy more when you move it gets very expensive, anybody who has value stuff in these sheds do not afford to pay, i don't have anything in sheds but they are popular because people need them, otherwise there would be no business for them.

My philosophy is that if you have more stuff than you can use then you have too much stuff! Actually, I'm trying to clear out stuff we accumulated in the basement over the last few years of just being too lazy to get rid of it. If I'm not using it, haven't used it in a couple of years, don't KNOW I'll need it in the next couple of years - it's gone!

Well, I believe they have their good points and their bad points! The guy that sells on e-bay, could use it as an expense against his income, when he does taxes! Me and my brothers and sisters, use one large storage, ;and we share among five of us, and use it to store things every once in a while, and it comes in handy! And the rule is, if you store something in it you pay, one fifth of the storage fee! Those people that just rent the storage and have stuff in there for a long time, would probably be better off, if they bought a storage container or made one at their residence and not pay storage, no matter how long it was stored! I myself never forget to pay, but I've had some friends that forgot to pay and lost their stuff! I think those storage places are convenient , because they are there when you need a storage place, for a short time if you need it, or in an emergency!

Hello! Many people use these for short term storage between moves, or just until they can figure out what to do with them. A friend of mine owns several buildings full of rental storage space and a couple of times a year they do hold auctions on unpaid storage facilities. It's amazing what people store in there! All kinds of items and some very valuable. I guess they do serve a purpose for some. Have a wonderful day!

When you need them they are useful. I don't think anyone should use one on a regular basis unless they had to. When I was married to my ex he had the brilliant idea to go back into the military. I moved back in with my parents so we placed 2 bdrms worth of stuff in storage for about a year. Didn't cost much at all, $75/month, much cheaper than rent.

We have never rented a storage shed. Our house is big so all the good items are in the house. We have a shed in the backyard but that houses the lawnmower and other odds and ends we really don't need any longer. We had it built several years ago for our kid's bikes and old furniture. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money on storage unless I had a job which required mega traveling and didn't need a home or apartment. I can understand your friend moving his items into storage if he is on the road traveling all the time. If I did have to have a storage shed I'd make sure it was climate controlled. I know mice can get inside and wreck all sorts of things.

I think they can be useful.I had to use one for my stuff.If I had not I would not have anything right now.I keep it about 6 months.I do not have anything in storage now.They are good to have at times if you do not want to get rid of all your stuff,you can store it.

For me I just put everything in totes in my cellar. I mostly get rid of things rather then hold onto them. I know a lot of people who rent the storage places but to me its just expensive and most of the stuff you can just sell or donate rather then paying monthly to have your things stored in one. I couldnt afford to rent one anyway.

I guess it all depends on what you use them for. I had one for a couple of years. In it I just stored things like sleds and xmas things etc. One year, I went to get my stuff and it was totally invaded with spiders. I lost everything. I also know a guy who set up home in one...cheap rent till he got caught & evicted/

Personally I think they are a waste. I wouldn't store things. When I have something that I am not using and is still in good condition I usually will ask a family member if they want it. 9 times out of 10 someone in the family will need something. Storage is expensive and I just cannot see myself paying storage fees for something I may never use again. I'd much prefer to give it to someone who can use it now and needs it.

When my husband got transferred from Winnipeg to Calgary, we stored a lot of stuff in one of these rental places, too. It cost us $200 a month. We stored all of our appliances, mostly, till we could move them to Calgary, which would be when we bought a house. Well, we lived in Calgary for 5 years and did not buy a house and never needed the appliances since we lived in apartments. We kept them in storage for about 2 years and since in those two years it cost us $4800.00 we finally just had them removed and gave them away, because they weren't worth pay for anymore at those prices. We learned a costly lesson about renting these storage places, Unless you are going to move the stuff out of them in a short period, is it really worth the money? Are the items worth that much or is it better to just let the items go and just buy new ones, when all is said and done? I guess if you can find a storage place that is cheap, okay, but if you are paying $100 or $200 a month, is the stuff worth it?

I've never used a storage rental unit. Ive always thought that if i had to rent a shed to store my things id buy one and set it up at the farm...rather than renting one. The cost of a shed runs around $600 and at $75 a month it would only take 8 months to pay for the shed. If its a bit more than that Id be still investing in the shed because theres somewhere to set the shed up. If i didnt have somewhere to put the shed i'd use a rental.

If you have a legitimate business I imagine this sort of thing is a reasonably inexpensive storage solution which could be written of as an overhead tax wise. I often wonder how many people disclose their ebay business dealings with the taxation department.

We have a storage shed in our backyard that we put up over the summer. If we hadn't, we probably would have rented one somewhere else. Ours mostly has seasonal items and baby items in it. We might have other kids, so we don't want to get rid of the baby items until we decide (our son is only 2). We don't want to get rid of the seasonal things for obvious reasons.

I had to use one when I was moving and had to stay with my sister temporarily. It really came in handy. If it's an outdoor one though, you have to set mouse traps or they'll get in there and shred up all your stuff to make nests!

They really aren't all that expensive to rent in my experience. We have used them. We lost all of our stuff that was in it too. Not because we didn't pay, but because Hurricane Katrina flooded the whole thing. All that I could salvage was a couple of pictures and a few drawings that my kids did. I had thrown them in a laundry basket and I am guessing that it floated on top of the water. We had planned to have the storage for a few months while my husband went to another tech school (military). We put in everything we don't use on a daily basis. So aside from an envelope of baby pictures (enlargements) all of the baby pictures I had plus the baby books for my children were destroyed. Thankfully my ex-husband kept a lot of the doubles! That little laundry basket in the midst of all that destruction and loss, even after realizing that we had lost everything...I found myself being thankful. I would still use a storage if I had to. They are useful for those who need them.

Over the last 6 years, we have moved a fair bit, and all the non important things have been kept in storage for a while. 2 units in 2 different towns, but one lot should be arriving here in the next few weeks, so will be happy about that! No more fees for that place! Yay! Then the local one is the only one we have to worry about.

There are some certain benefits to storage rental places. Sometimes people must move to smaller accomodations and require storage for some of their furniture, sometimes people find themselves homeless and must store the bulk of their belongings, and sometimes people want to safely store their earthly treasures. Without question there are risks, like loss or damage, but for some circumstances there really is no other choice than to use a storage rental. And you would want to pay because you have got everything to lose if you don't...literally.