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When you store items in a self-storage unit, it’s a good idea to create and keep an inventory.

At Spaces and Places, it’s common to see someone return to their unit only to find they have absolutely no idea where they put something – this can lead to endless searching through piles of unlabelled boxes which takes up a great deal of time. Keeping your unit organised with an inventory really can be indispensable when you come back to find something.

Not only will an inventory help you keep track of all your items, but it could also be a crucial piece of paperwork should you ever need to make an insurance claim.

Creating an inventory…

Creating an inventory for your storage unit is pretty straightforward.

Simply create a listing of all the items in the storage unit and keep it updated on a regular basis. If you take an item out, the list should be updated with the reason/date of removal. Similarly, if you add an item to your unit then note down the name, description and date on the list.

Numbering all your items/boxes can be a good way to keep up with your inventory. If you have shelving installed in your unit you may even want to number shelf numbers and note exactly which shelf each item is stored. This will allow you to easily locate a certain item should you need to use it.

For insurance…

If you’re using a unit to store business stock, documents or valuable/antique possessions then keeping an inventory is particularly important for insurance purposes.

When you’re creating your inventory remember to note down the value of each item and save a copy of a receipt in a safe place. In the unlikely event that your unit is damaged or broken into, an accurate and up to date inventory will ensure that there are no disputes over what items are worth when you file an insurance claim.

While we don’t insist that you take out contents insurance we would strongly advise getting your contents covered.

For more information on insurance or any aspect of our self-storage facilities, please get in touch and we will be happy to answer any questions!

1. Secure your unit

The first step you need to take is to secure your unit. With Spaces and Places this is really simple! Just give us a call or email a few days before you require storage and we will reserve a unit ready for you.

2. Deposit

When you arrive at your chosen facility we will ask you to fill out a short rental agreement and to pay the first month’s rent plus a £100 deposit, which will be returned to you when you vacate.

3. Insurance?

While we don’t insist that you take out insurance, we would strongly recommend that you take out cover. With cover starting from just 55p a week per £1000 covered, insurance can give you peace of mind that your contents are covered should something go wrong.

4. Move-in

Once your deposit is paid, you can move your possessions in! As our facilities aren’t restricted by entrance times, you can gain access to your unit 24/7 allowing you to move your stuff in whenever is convenient for you.

All our facilities offer top quality steel units to keep your things safe, secure and dry. There are a number of businesses and individuals who use our self-storage facilities, many of them with very different needs.

5. Monthly payments

After you’re all moved in, simply just pay a monthly rental fee to retain your unit. We welcome credit & debit cards, Government Procurement Card, standing orders, bank transfers and cash if preferred.

6. Vacate

When you no longer require the use of your unit, just give us a call a week before you want to leave. When you’ve emptied your unit we will refund you your deposit and any remaining, unexpired rent.

If you have any questions about self-storage or would like to find out how to secure a unit, please get in touch with a member of the team today!

Did you know that 75% of house burglaries take place when a property is unoccupied?

With the summer holidays officially upon us, many of us will be planning on taking a trip away during the next couple of months. Whether you’re taking a weekend break or jetting off for a few weeks it’s a good idea to review the security practises before you go.

A 2013 study by confused.com revealed that 51% of homeowners kept their valuables in vulnerable places, despite knowing that they are common places for a thief to look.

According to figures from the website, the most common ‘safe places’ used by homeowners were the sock drawer (13%), the top of the wardrobe (9%), under the bed (9%) and even under the sink! (6%)

If you’re preparing to go away this summer it might be a good idea to think about where you hide valuable items such as jewellery and antiques before you go.

If you do end up in the worst-case scenario and an intruder makes it into your home, a ‘safe place’ such as a sock drawer is likely to be one of the first places they’ll look.

More and more homeowners are now using self-storage as a secure and convenient way to store their valuables while they’re away.

You can rest assured that we take security very seriously, with access to all our self-storage facilities being via a coded gate.

All individual units can be locked with your own padlock and set of keys – we do not have access to your unit. The units are then secured with a fitted ‘lockbox’ which stops anyone cutting your padlock off (so try not to lose your keys!)

If you wish, you even have the option to add up to four more padlocks – it’s as simple as that!

With no long-term contracts or notice periods, you can store your possessions and high-value items for a few days or a few weeks, giving you peace of mind that should the worst happen while you are away, all your most treasured possessions are completely safe from the grasp of potential thieves.

With locations in Nuneaton, Winsford and Manchester you’re never far away from a secure Spaces and Places unit. Get in touch today for more details.

When kids move home from University for summer, parents are often left wondering where on earth they’re going cram in all the accumulated gear!

As well as food, suitcases and piles of laundry, kids often need to cart home the entire contents of their university digs over the summer break and chances are it won’t all fit in your spare room!

If the kids are heading back to Nuneaton for the summer and you want to keep their stuff close by without having to live on top of it, a Spaces and Places storage unit is the next best option!

Students often need to gain access to textbooks, clothing and sports equipment during the summer holidays so by storing their stuff close to home you will ensure that they won’t have to trek back to campus to pick something up if they need it.

Using a storage facility doesn’t have to be daunting and we can assure you that students can store anything safely and securely with us. All of our units are steel containers with wooden floors, fixed ventilation and rubber door seals so all their stuff will be kept secure, clean and dry.

When you store with Spaces and Places, you will also benefit from 24/7 access. This is often useful for students who won’t need to take any time off work or university to come and drop off/collect their things.

Our conveniently located storage facility in Nuneaton is the ideal solution for any student living locally. Simply give us a call to secure your unit.

If you would like to find out more about student storage unit in Nuneaton this summer, get in touch today!

Car boot sales are an increasingly popular way to get rid of household items that you no longer need.

Nobody wants a home cluttered with boxes of unused or unloved possessions, so selling your stuff at a car boot is a great way to recycle any useful but unwanted domestic items that you may have otherwise thrown away.

Car boot sales have become something of a British tradition and the premise is simple. Simply clear out any unused items from your home and sell them onto others from the boot of your car!

Often taking place over the summer, it’s likely that enthusiasts will have a few boot sales in their diaries over the next few months.

Are you car boot mad? Or perhaps just looking to make some extra cash over the summer by clearing out your clutter? Whatever your reason for car-booting, it’s likely that you’ll need somewhere to store your items between sales. After all, once you’ve decluttered your garage or spare room, you won’t want to bring any unsold possessions back home to store!

At Spaces and Places, we can keep all your car boot possessions safe and secure as well as providing you with 24/7 access whenever you need it.

We offer 3 conveniently sized storage units which can be used to store any of your car boot stock from kids toys to books and furniture.

With no long-term contracts to stick to, you can store your items for as little or as long as you’d like.

So whether you’re an amateur car-booter looking to swap your clutter for cash, or a professional market trader who needs space on a longer-term basis, we can cater to all kinds of self-storage needs.

When you rent a unit from Spaces and Places you can rest assured that you will be getting fantastic value for money. We even provide a Collect and Store service for those renting with us for longer periods of time!

So as car boot season gets underway, make sure you give us a call and secure your unit this summer!

When it comes to self-storage, one thing many people struggle with is organising their unit.

Over the coming weeks, Spaces and Places are going to bring you some of our top tips to ensure your unit stays clean, tidy, organised and easy to navigate.

The first of our tips is to create a self-storage unit map! Read on for more information…

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when storing things in a unit is to put everything in at once and shut the door behind you. All too often we see self-storage customers return to their units scratching their heads, struggling to remember where they put something!!

Before you get started with mapping your self-storage unit, it’s a good idea to think about the layout first.

Taking time to plan how and where you are going to store your items will certainly help you to maximise the space available to you.

Think about your items shape, size and how often you’ll need to access them in order to work out a general plan.

Self-storage map

A self-storage map will ensure everything is easily discoverable when you come back to your unit. Once you’re happy with the proposed layout of your unit, carefully draw out the floor plan of your storage unit.

As you stack, scribble down the position of everything you store. Once your done, simply tack it to the wall and put your memory to good use elsewhere!

A basic map will note down the general positions of groups of items such as “kitchenware” “kids toys” “sports kit” etc. This will help you easily locate certain categories of ‘stuff!’

If you want a more your map to be more detailed, simply jot down exactly where specific items are stored on your floor plan. This is a good technique when you’re storing stock or using self-storage for important documents. A quality map will help you quickly locate a specific piece of paperwork should you suddenly need to access to it.

If you have any questions about the organisation of your self-storage unit or would like to find out how to secure a unit, please get in touch today!

Doing business has changed significantly over the last decade. Online businesses now operate around the clock with everything you could possibly need just a few clicks away. As a result convenience and immediacy are now a requirement for consumers.

The concept of ‘opening hours’ and ‘waiting in a queue’ has almost become a thing of the past, as customers now have the option to order absolutely anything straight from their smartphone. With the demand for convenience showing no signs of slowing, businesses in every industry are having to respond to ensure their products and services are ready when their customers need them.

Even the self-storage industry is embracing this shift in consumer demand to make their services more convenient. Spaces and Places are no exception, and we are proud to be able to offer our customers 24 Hour Storage and a ‘Collect and Store’ service. Making convenience a top priority, Collect and Store allows customers to arrange delivery and drop-off of their possessions, all without having to leave the workplace.

It’s almost impossible for businesses in any sector to ignore the changing consumer landscape that modern technology has created. At a time when customers demand a ‘round the clock’, convenient service, self-storage providers ensure that your business keeps up with these expectations and is able to give customers the convenience that they crave.

Companies that have moved their services further online are just one example of how businesses can benefit from self-storage. Anyone operating an online business knows that it isn’t a 9-5 job. Storage facilities provide the perfect ‘on-demand’ solution for anyone who needs access to stock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What’s more, busy businesses won’t need to take time out of valuable trading hours to get hold of stock and can gain quick access should they need to respond quickly to an urgent demand.

The shift to timesaving convenience allows us to put our service right where you need it: online, on your doorstep, and around the clock! Get in touch today to find out more about on-demand self-storage solutions for your business.

When your website is your shop front, a self-storage unit can make good business sense.

Many online businesses start out of a spare room or garage but can rapidly start to outgrow their humble beginnings, requiring a much larger space to keep up with demand.

If you are running, or have recently started an online business, a self-storage unit can provide somewhere for you to store stock, organise distribution and keep items secure.

By running your online business from a Spaces and Places self-storage unit, you and your business could benefit in a number of ways…

1.    24/7 storage – Anyone operating an online business knows that it isn’t a 9-5 job. Our facilities provide the perfect ‘on-demand’ solution for your online business, allowing you access to stock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2.    Allow your business to grow – At Spaces and Places, we offer a range of storage units, suitable for any sized business. Should you need to suddenly order of a large amount of stock you will find a storage unit conveniently designed to meet your needs.

3.    Reclaim your living space – While your spare room may do the trick for a few months, it may become harder to accommodate stock at home as your business grows. A self-storage unit can take the strain off your home and help you reclaim your living space.

4.    Increased security – Storing stock at home can also put you at risk of a security breach. Spaces and Places take security very seriously and want all business owners to be assured that their stock is being stored safely. Access to all our facilities is via a coded gate with individual units all fitted with a ‘lockbox’.

5.    Keep stock secure – When your customers are relying on the quality of your stock you want to ensure that it is not compromised in any way. Our high quality, steel containers are fitted with wooden floors, fixed ventilation and rubber door seals to ensure your stock remains safe, dry and undamaged.

Whether you have already established online business or are just starting a new venture, Spaces and Places can help your business to thrive.

For further information about costs and terms visit the relevant page for Winsford, Manchester or Nuneaton or contact us directly with any other questions.

If predictions are to be believed, the UK is set for another hotter-than-average summer this year, with temperatures set to soar well into July.

While you may have been ready for summer since January, your home may not be quite ready for the transition!

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer you may be thinking about refreshing your home ready to entertain friends and make the most of the summer months.

If changes in your home are on a slightly larger scale than a general tidy-up then you may want to consider renting a storage unit to help you get ‘summer-ready’.

We bring you our top tips for getting your house in shape for summer.

1-    Swap decorations – One of the most cost-effective ways to get your home ready for summer is to swap anything that reads “winter” for lighter, airier substitutions. Swap out heavy throws, blankets and dark fabrics for light textiles and bright summer shades of blue, white, yellow and green.

2-    Redecorate – Many people use the summer as an opportunity to redecorate their homes. If you’re planning a project, don’t forget that you will need somewhere secure to store your belongings while you work. Storing your possessions in a Spaces and Places unit will protect them from paint or damage while you makeover your home.

3-    Wardrobe – If the weather does take a turn for the better, it’s unlikely that you’ll need heavy coats, woolly scarves and big boots taking up valuable space in your wardrobe. Pack anything you don’t need into a case and store it out of the way.

4-    Make a garden action plan – One of the best things about summer is spending time outside and enjoying the garden. If you have been storing BBQ’s, garden furniture, and summer sports equipment over the chilly months then use this opportunity to get them out and give them a good clean ready for another season’s use. You may even want to declutter your shed/garage so you actually have somewhere safe to store garden kit when you’re not using it!

Getting your home summer-ready is easier than you think with Spaces and Places.

Our high-quality storage units are perfect for storing bulky winter items, giving your home some much-needed breathing space this summer.

For more information, feel free to contact us to discuss how we could help you.

If you’ve been planning a clear out for a while, the bank holiday is the perfect opportunity to declutter and reclaim some space in our homes ready for the summer months ahead.

If you’re using the long weekend to declutter, we suggest tackling one room at a time and the garage is a great place to start.

Read on for our guide for organising your garage storage…

Clearing out your garage is possibly one of the most daunting decluttering tasks of all. Garages can quickly become overcrowded, with many of us using them as a dumping ground for junk that’s been thrown in when there’s no other place for it.

With a little determination and organisation, you can reclaim your garage and use it to store sports equipment, gardening tools or even your car!

De-clutter

Start by ruthlessly going through boxes of junk and deciding what you want to keep, what you want to throw out and things you want to keep but don’t use very often. Put anything that falls into this category into storage.

If you find anything of value in your garage, you could even earn a bit of extra money from your unwanted goods! Sell things you no longer want on eBay or take them to a local car boot sale.

Organisation

Once you have decided what you are going to keep, you can think about how you are going to organise everything. Shelving, hooks and large bins are all great for making the most of the space available in your garage. By organising your stuff into a specific area or container, you can access it easily when you come to use it.

Self-storage

Decluttering can be a chore, but Spaces and Places make it really simple!

We have storage units of all shapes and sizes just waiting for possessions, ready to give your garage some much-needed breathing space this bank holiday.

Contact Spaces and Places to find out how we can maximise space in your garage!

Moving house in Nuneaton? Whether you’re downsizing, relocating your family, or a young professional moving for its a great commuter location between major UK cities, Spaces and Places can offer convenient, affordable and flexible storage to save you time and money during your move.

We know how daunting it can be to pack up and move your entire life, so if you want to be assured that your treasured possessions and important documents are safe and secure while you move, Spaces and Places can help.

Located between Nuneaton and Atherstone, in the heart of Ansley Common, we are ideally situated to serve the storage needs of Hinckley, Coleshill, Coventry and plenty of other places throughout Warwickshire.

Our Nuneaton storage facility offers a number of benefits to house movers including:

·      Ground level storage

·      Secure facilities – constant CCTV surveillance

·      High quality, clean, ventilated steel units

·      No long-term contracts

·      No notice period

·      ‘Share the cost’ scheme

·      Collection service

·      No restricted access times – 24/7 self-storage comes as standard

We understand that moving dates are strict so we aim to make our service as flexible as possible. With unrestricted access, you can drop off and pick up your possessions at a time to suit you.

The process of securing a Spaces and Places unit is so quick and simple you can be packed up and moved in no time. Simply contact our Nuneaton site on 02476 960 918 to give us a few days notice to guarantee the space.

Located in the triangle formed by the M6, A5, M42 and M69, Spaces and Places really couldn’t be better placed for accessibility for anyone moving house in Nuneaton or around West Midlands.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Moving in together is one of the most exciting steps that a couple can take but according to a new study, the glow soon wears off and it’s all thanks to clutter.

The study revealed that couples typically have 32 arguments a year over the amount of clutter in their home, with half saying that they regularly argued about their partner having ‘too much stuff.’

Whether it’s inherited knick-knacks, dusty sports equipment or bin bags full of unworn clothes, it seems that growing amounts of clutter are pushing couples apart. Arguments over clutter even led 1 in 8 spouses to ‘accidentally’ break something belonging to their partner, with a further 44% to throw away items they wanted to keep. Items most likely to face the chop were:

Clothes 42% Furniture 36% Books 33%

Psychologist Anjula Mutanda told the Daily Mail: ‘Moving from ‘my own space’ to ‘our shared space’ can be thrilling, but this big step can also cause emotional stress.

‘This is because your home is your sanctuary and reflects who you are, so inviting someone to live with you can feel a bit like being invaded by someone else’s belongings.

‘This can result in subconscious ‘space guarding’ where you use your possessions to mark out your territory and any perceived violation of this by your partner could cause tensions.

‘The key to a harmonious relationship is to work as a team. Communicate by discussing practicalities out in the open, negotiate what stays and what goes and be willing to compromise.

‘Deciding together how to create an equal and shared space will help to ensure that living together is an enjoyable and positive experience.’

Are you living in clutter? Has a cluttered home led to a cluttered relationship?

Spaces and Places can help!

We have storage units of all shapes and sizes just waiting for your possessions, ready to give your home (and your relationship!) some much-needed breathing space.

Contact Spaces and Places to find out how we can maximise space in your home!