| The family is getting bigger and with another baby on | | | | flexible solution. |
| the way where are the bodies going to go, never | | | | This is set against a backdrop of a housing shortage. |
| mind the belongings? Sound familiar? This is the | | | | Even if homeowners, do want to move, there is a |
| conundrum many UK families are facing. Rather than | | | | shortage of affordable homes to buy. And the |
| risk moving when the economy is so depressed | | | | knock-on effect of the recession has been a |
| increasing numbers of UK families and are following in | | | | slow-down in house building, further exacerbating the |
| their US counterparts' footsteps and opting to rent a | | | | lack of housing stock. Householders may be short of |
| self storage unit. | | | | space but they are being forced to stay put. |
| The self storage concept entered the UK from the | | | | To top it all, modern houses are built with much less |
| US in the early nineties and the industry has been | | | | storage space than a hundred years ago. These |
| booming ever since. Although still in its infancy by | | | | factors combined are resulting in healthy growth for |
| comparison, there are now 800 self storage | | | | the UK's self storage market. |
| warehouses in the UK, generating annual revenues in | | | | One householder from Bolton describes how her |
| excess of £345m, according to the UK's Self | | | | family does not have enough space but feels it is too |
| Storage Association's 2009 survey. And just under 70 | | | | risky to move and take on a bigger mortgage. "The |
| per cent of all storage space in the UK is taken up | | | | garage is full of bikes and DIY gear," she says. "Last |
| by domestic users. | | | | summer we put all our winter clothes, sporting |
| Which brings us back to why so many UK households | | | | equipment such as skis, into storage. We were only |
| are buying into the self storage phenomena. When | | | | going to rent the unit for a few months but then |
| the economy was booming and the housing market | | | | winter came and we thought, wouldn't it be handy to |
| buoyant, householders were using self storage as a | | | | get all the garden furniture, camping equipment and |
| temporary stop gap to store their belongings when | | | | roof box out of the garage." |
| they were between homes. But with the downturn, | | | | The family hopes to move once signs of an |
| usage has changed. | | | | economic recovery are more pronounced. "I imagine |
| Although homeowners may want to move up to the | | | | that we will use our storage unit to de-clutter the |
| next rung on the housing ladder, many are financially | | | | house before putting it on the market. That's what all |
| not in a position to do so, or are reluctant to move | | | | the estate agents tell you to do," she says. |
| until the economy has stabilised. Already the lofts, | | | | There is not doubt, with a storage unit the size of a |
| previously used for storage, have been converted to | | | | small child's bedroom costing as little as £60 per |
| attic rooms. With storage space within the home | | | | month, it is definitely cheaper than moving house. |
| being squeezed, self storage provides a cheap, | | | | |