Storage units are incredibly helpful for clearing clutter from your home and safely storing your belongings elsewhere, but there are certain limitations to what you can and can’t store in your unit. This article covers things that are forbidden from storage.
Storing inappropriate or dangerous items in your unit could invalidate your contract with your storage facility, and could also invalidate your storage insurance – meaning that should something happen to your belongings while in storage, you would not be covered for their financial value.
Below, we’ve highlighted six things forbidden from storage units to help you stay within the terms and conditions of your contract.
1. Food
While some canned goods may be allowed to be stored in your unit, perishable food items are not appropriate.
Things like meat, dairy, fresh produce, and other perishable foods cannot be stored, even if your unit is climate controlled. This is to avoid the food rotting in your unit, but also to prevent pests from being attracted to your unit and those around yours.
2. Weapons
A storage unit is not the place to be storing a weapons arsenal. In most cases, you’ll actually find that weapons of any kind are banned from being stored inside your unit.
In fact, even fireworks are prohibited in most cases – so if you do have weapons, keep them at home or find an appropriate provider who will allow you to store them safely and legally.
3. Flammable items
Flammable items cannot be stored inside your unit. Multiple storage facility fires in recent years only further highlight how important it is to keep every unit as safe as possible. This includes substances such as petrol, oil, propane, and flammable chemicals.
If you’re storing household items such as a lawnmower or camping stove, you should make sure they are emptied of gas/fuel before being put into storage.
4. Hazardous materials
Hazardous materials extend to cover flammable items as mentioned above, as well as potentially dangerous materials such as medical supplies, chemical substances, and pressurized aerosols which could be a safety risk.
Due to their potentially dangerous nature, these items are typically prohibited at storage unit facilities.
5. Living things
It feels like it goes without saying, but for obvious reasons, living things including pets and plants should never be stored in a storage unit.
Storing plants will almost definitely damage them due to a lack of sunlight, but may also attract pests to your unit. Additionally, it should go without saying that storing animals of any kind is absolutely not allowed!
6. Illegal Goods
Another obvious point, but storing stolen or illegal items in your storage unit is also not allowed, and you could be prosecuted if found doing otherwise. Additionally, storing illegal items in your unit will likely invalidate any insurance you take out to cover your stored items.
If you’re not sure if something is permitted to be stored in your unit, best practice is to simply ask! Your provider is going to be happier that you’ve asked first than to discover you’ve been storing something prohibited after the fact.
Covering your permitted items:
While some things are forbidden from storage units for the most part, most of your typical household items are suitable. However, accidents can always happen, and we highly recommend taking out a storage insurance policy to cover the total value of your belongings should anything happen to them.
Typically, storage insurance is a mandatory requirement by most facilities – but you’ll save up to three times more by shopping with us than directly with your storage provider.
Our policy will cover you for the loss or damage of your stored contents in the event of:
- Natural disasters, including lightning, earthquake, storm, flood and weight of snow
- Fire and explosion
- Leaking water/liquid from fixed water tanks and pipes
- Theft and attempted theft, with proof of violent breaking and entering (e.g. broken lock)
- Falling trees, telegraph poles and lamp posts
- Collision by a vehicle or animal
- Impact by aircraft and other flying devices or items dropped from flying aircraft
- Rioters, violent disorders, strikes, labour disturbances, civil commotion and malicious acts
Find out more and get a quote based on the value of your stored contents.