Ask your insurer before booking the unit
Do not assume ordinary contents cover follows your belongings into off-site storage. Give the insurer the facility address, intended dates, approximate value and a description of any jewellery, art, tools, bikes or collections. Ask for written confirmation of the events covered, the value basis, total limit, item limits, excess and security conditions.
Consumer Protection recommends reading the policy and asking the insurer to explain anything you do not understand. Check the entire journey, including loading, transit, storage and redelivery. The mover's liability and your contents insurance are separate protections.
Facility cover needs the same scrutiny
If the storage business offers insurance or a protection product, get the actual document before paying. Compare its insured events, exclusions, limits, valuation method, excess and claims process with your household insurer's offer. Find out who the insurer is and whether accepting one option affects the other. A line on an invoice is not enough to understand the cover.
Read the storage agreement from end to end
A self-storage agreement is a contract. Consumer Protection advises checking terms and conditions before agreeing to a purchase, including cancellation and extra charges. For storage, pay particular attention to access hours, payment dates, late fees, notice, security responsibilities, prohibited items, insurance requirements and what the business may do after missed payments.
Ask how you must report water entry, theft, pests or accidental damage, and whether the facility limits its responsibility. Keep the signed agreement, fee schedule and condition report somewhere outside the unit.
Before the unit door closes
- Confirm storage cover and dates in writing.
- Check the total limit, value basis, excess and item limits.
- Ask whether loading, transit and redelivery are covered.
- Read the access, payment, notice and prohibited-item rules.
- Record every box and photograph important belongings.
- Keep receipts, valuations, serial numbers and policy documents elsewhere.
- Give a trusted person the inventory and facility details if appropriate.
- Set a date to review the arrangement if the move is delayed.
Build an inventory you could actually use
Give each box a number, list its broad contents and photograph it open before sealing. Take wide photographs of the unit layout, then closer photographs of valuable, fragile or hard-to-replace belongings. Record serial numbers where available and keep receipts or valuations with the digital inventory.
The record has two jobs. It helps you find belongings without opening every carton, and it gives the insurer or storage business clearer evidence if something is missing or damaged. Store a copy online or with someone you trust, not only on a device packed in the unit.
Pack for the unit, not just the truck
Use sound boxes, keep belongings off the floor where practical and leave a path so you can inspect the space. Avoid unstable stacks. Follow the facility's rules for fuel, gas cylinders, food, plants, chemicals and other prohibited goods.
Put anything you may need before settlement near the front. Passports, essential medicines, house keys and the only copy of important records should stay with you.
If movers will enter the facility, confirm its access process and your insurer's packing conditions. The moving and storage cost guide can help you compare access fees, double handling and redelivery alongside the headline unit price.
Check the unit and cover while belongings are stored
Follow any inspection, lock or alarm conditions in the agreement and policy. If the storage period or contents change, tell the insurer and ask whether the existing confirmation still applies. Keep fee payments up to date and record any concern with the facility in writing.
Photograph the exit as carefully as the arrival
Record the unit and belongings before redelivery, and note damage or missing items before disposing of packaging or arranging repairs. Notify the storage business and insurer promptly, then follow their written claims instructions.
Once storage ends, tell the insurer and update the contents sum insured and specified items for the new home. Check the empty unit, complete the provider's exit process and keep the final inventory until any damage questions and account adjustments are settled.
Add it to the move
Put storage, insurance and double handling beside your dates
Use the moving-cost guide to compare the full arrangement, then add the unit, cover confirmation and redelivery date to your private preparation checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tell my insurer before renting the unit?
Yes. Explain what will be stored, where and for how long, then ask for written confirmation before the belongings move.
Does a padlock mean the contents are insured?
No. Physical security and insurance are different. Cover depends on the written policy or facility product and any security conditions.
Should receipts stay in the storage unit?
No. Keep inventories, receipts, valuations and policy documents somewhere separate and accessible.
Are valuables covered to their full value?
Not necessarily. Ask about category and item limits, and whether valuable belongings must be specified separately or stored elsewhere.
Official sources
Reviewed 15 August 2026. Storage agreements and insurance policies differ, so check your own written documents.
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