Even when sharing an apartment or dorm room, space can always be something that is difficult to manage. At best, you’re living on top of each other, and at worst, you’re pulling out the masking tape to mark off where your part of the room starts and where your roommate’s space ends. In a time where living space can come at a premium, having some additional room to store your things can help clear out the clutter and maybe even alleviate frustrations at home.
Thankfully, there’s no rule against sharing a storage unit. Splitting a unit with your apartment or college roommate can be a great, affordable, and easy way of giving your more space to live in. To help you on the way, here are X tips to sharing your self storage.
1. Determine your storage unit size
The first question most storage unit renters ask themselves is how much space you need. Sit down and speak with your roommate to figure out how much space you need. For a reference, if you just need to store smaller items like a few boxes of clothes and decorations or even bikes, a small 5×5 unit may be enough. For furniture, consider a 5×10 or even a 10×10 unit. You can always check out our easy storage unit size guide for further help.
2. Talk about features
While you’re speaking to your roommate about a proposed storage unit, definitely consider your storage features. For instance, if you’re storing your couch because your roommate’s is a bit more comfortable, consider the drive up access feature. This allows you to pull up directly to your unit for easy drop off and pick up, a great alternative to pivoting a couch up stairs, down hallways, and into an elevator.
Other features to consider are climate control, which maintains a constant temperature and humidity level within the unit, as well as security such as electronic gate access, video surveillance, and onsite management.
3. Pre-pay the storage facility
As much as we may trust the people we live with, there is never any guarantee for the future. People relocate, housing assignments change, and financial situations can suddenly change in a moment. By paying ahead, you ensure no late fees or wind up in a lien-sale. This also allows you time to budget and find the best deal.
4. Organize your unit
Once you have the right storage unit for you and your roommate, you can move in. We recommend you take the time to organize your unit and document what you have stored. A good way would be sorting the items based on who owns it. It would also be best to line the perimeter of the walls with your items rather than pile them in a corner. Lastly, it may be best to write down what you’re storing on your phone or maybe even take a photo. This will allow you and your roommate to quickly identify what’s in storage when you may need it.
If you’re finding you and your roommate need more space in your dorm or apartment, a storage unit can be a great way to alleviate space needs. Once you’ve determined what you need, you can use Storage.com to help find the right storage unit for you and your roommate.
