Storage in London

What can you put into storage, and what can’t you?

Almost anything from a home or an office can go into storage: furniture, boxed belongings, beds and mattresses, white goods that have been drained and dried, bicycles, garden furniture, artwork, books, archive boxes, surplus desks and retail stock. A short list of things is not accepted, for safety and legal reasons. Most of it is common sense, and if you are unsure about an item, ask before collection rather than on the doorstep.

• Not accepted: food or anything perishable, plants, and anything living.
• Not accepted: flammable, explosive or corrosive items, including fuel, gas bottles, paint thinners, fireworks and most aerosols.
• Not accepted: firearms, ammunition, stolen goods and anything illegal to possess.
• Better kept with you: cash, jewellery, passports, personal documents and anything irreplaceable.

How does move-and-store work?

Move-and-store is one booking that covers both halves. We pack and load at your old address exactly as we would for a normal move. Instead of driving to a new home, we take your belongings into storage, where they stay until you are ready. When you are, we deliver to the new address and place the furniture in the right rooms. It suits a London chain where the sale completes before the purchase, a rental that ends before the next one begins, a renovation where a kitchen and two rooms need emptying, or a family relocating abroad who want to send some things on later. Because the same team handles the collection, the inventory and the delivery, you have one point of contact and a list of everything that went in. There is no need to hire a van, find a self-storage unit, and then do the whole thing again in reverse.

Student storage between terms

For students at London universities, the end of a tenancy rarely lines up with the start of the next one, and taking a room’s worth of belongings home on a train is not realistic. We collect boxes, suitcases, a bike and the odd piece of furniture from halls or a shared house, store them over the break, and deliver to your new address at the start of term. Pack and label your own boxes, list what you are sending, and tell us both addresses as early as you can, because end-of-term dates are the busiest of the year. Several housemates can share one collection, with each person’s things kept and listed separately. If you are going abroad for a placement or taking time out of study, the same service works, and the delivery address can be left open until you know where you will be living.

Business and document storage

London businesses use storage for archive boxes they must keep but rarely open, furniture left over after a downsize, seasonal stock, exhibition kit and equipment waiting for a new office. Boxes are logged when they come in, so you can ask for specific ones back rather than the whole lot. If you are moving office, we can take the archive straight from the old building into storage as part of the office removal. Confidential paper you no longer need does not have to be stored at all, and we can arrange secure shredding instead.

How does retrieval work?

When you need things back, contact us with the delivery address and whether you want everything or only selected items. Because everything is listed when it goes into storage, you can ask for the boxes marked “winter clothes” or the spare bed and leave the rest where it is. We agree a delivery date with you, check the access and parking at the delivery address, and bring the items to your door and into the rooms you name. Retrieval works the same way whether the delivery is in London, elsewhere in the UK, or the first leg of a move to France, Italy, Spain or Portugal.

Is my storage insured?

Cover for goods in storage is stated on your written quote, including what is covered, how it is valued and any exclusions, so you can read it before you agree to anything. We would rather show you the terms than offer a vague assurance. If you own high-value pieces such as art, antiques or an instrument, list them separately so they can be packed to suit and the cover checked against their value. If your home contents policy already extends to items in storage, it is worth checking with your insurer as well.