November 2020 – U-Lock Mini Storage

Ways to Take Advantage of Short-Term Storage

Short term storage offers a range of benefits and flexibility for those that need a little space for just a short time.

Short term storage offers a range of benefits and flexibility for those that need a little space for just a short time. When it comes to storage, we at U-Lock Mini Storage know that everyone’s needs are different, which is why we don’t require our tenants to commit to long-term lease agreements or lengthy notice periods. At U-Lock, we offer short term storage units on a flexible month-to-month lease and a short notice period of only 2-days. This allows our tenants to enjoy the hassle-free benefits of short-term storage with the convenience of extending month-to-month if needed. In this post, we look at a few of the reasons why you may use short-term storage and how you can use it to your advantage.

How long is short-term storage?

In general, short-term storage is a rental period up to 3-months. At U-Lock, we offer an open-ended, month-to-month lease agreement, which means that there are no long-term commitments required to use our self-storage facilities across Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland. On our month-to-month lease, you can use our self-storage units for as little one-month-minimum or for as long as you like. With a flexible 2-days notice, you don’t have to worry about planning far ahead and can take each week as it comes knowing that your items are safe and protected in storage.

Reasons for short-term storage

Office Uncertainty

In the midst of COVID-19, many businesses have moved out of the office to remote working. With the future uncertain, businesses are debating whether to keep their current office space, downsize to a smaller space, or opt for remote work long-term. During this time, a storage unit can provide a temporary storage solution for storing things like desks, chairs, office equipment, furniture, and inventory while you consider what kind of dedicated space your business needs.

Storing Vehicles & Equipment During the Off-Season

Many individuals and businesses use our storage units to store seasonal equipment and vehicles short-term during the winter months. A storage unit provides a clean, dry, and safe environment for their personal and classic cars, motorcycles, ATVs, dirt bikes, commercial vehicle fleets, and industrial equipment during the offseason. Because most people and businesses don’t have the garage, warehouse, or outdoor space to store their vehicles and equipment throughout the year, a storage unit provides an affordable, flexible storage solution that helps them free up much-needed space while giving them peace of mind that their toys and equipment are safe and protected.

Stress-Free Home Renovations

Home renovations are exciting but can also be overwhelming. Whether you’re hiring a contractor or doing your home renovations yourself, there is a lot of dust, paint, and messes. While you can use plastic sheeting, blankets, or covers to try and protect your furniture from dust and debris, it always somewhere finds its way in. A storage unit is a great place to keep your furniture clean and protected during home renovations. If you’re renovating the kitchen and bathrooms, rent a 5×10 or 10×10 storage unit to keep your dining table, chairs, and appliances safe and out of the way. If you’re renovating or painting the entire house, opt for a 10×15 or 10×20 and keep all your home furnishings safe and secure while the renovation chaos ensues.

Stashing Away Holiday Presents

Do you have curious children or impatient family members that can’t help exploring every nook and cranny in your home to locate the holiday presents you have stashed away for them? Instead of trying to hide gifts in your garage, attic, or closets where they may be prone to damage or prying eyes, rent a temporary 5×5 or 5×10 storage unit until the big day is here. At our U-Lock storage facilities, we offer storage units that are individually alarmed and heated, making them the perfect hiding spot to stash away gifts like new bicycles, electronics, sports equipment, instruments, and more.

Storing Camping Equipment

Camping requires a lot of gear and space to store it. During the offseason, outdoor enthusiasts need to find space to store things like tents, sleeping bags, camping beds, coolers, camping stoves, folding tables and chairs, and so much more. All these items take up a huge amount of space, and not everyone has a spare room, garage, or shed to keep their camping and outdoor gear secure, dry and out of the way throughout the winter months. While you wait for the warmer months to come back, a short-term storage unit can serve as a dedicated space for your camping gear that is easily accessible. That way, when the camping season rolls back around, you’ll be more than ready to break out your camping gear and hit the great outdoors!

Short-Term Storage Solutions with U-Lock

Do you need a short-term storage unit but not sure where to start? Give us a call at 1.866.647.8673 or contact us online and our storage specialists would be happy to help! Simply let us know what size storage unit you’re looking for and how long you’d like to store, and we’d be love to help you set-up a reservation.

Need to reserve a storage unit? Find a U-Lock self storage facility near you:

Self storage Burnaby or Vancouver

Self storage Chilliwack

Self storage South Surrey or White Rock

Self storage Parksville

Self storage Nanaimo

Self storage Victoria

How to Stage Your Home For Sale

When you are selling your home, you want it to look absolutely stunning for your potential buyers. That is where home staging comes in.

Home staging is a decorating approach used to accentuate your home’s most beautiful, elegant, and notable features and help your buyers picture themselves moving in and living there. On average, staged homes sell 88% faster and for a 20% higher price than non-staged homes. The impressive results of staging a home makes it an imperative part of selling your home.

Here are four tips for staging your home!

Remove Clutter

Make your home look cleaner and create room for staging items such as new furniture or kitchenware and decors.

You can also remove miscellaneous items like board games or old CDs and old clothes in your closets; potential buyers are likely to check out your closets to assess the storage capacity.

Items in your garage such as hockey nets or bikes should also be removed from your home for home staging so prospects can see the full capacity of your garage.

The less clutter you have in your space, the bigger it will look and the more appealing it will be to buyers.

The best way to declutter your home for home staging is renting a storage unit. By renting a storage unit during the process of home staging, showing, and open house, you can place all your items in the storage unit and make your home look more spacious and tidy for prospective buyers.

Since you can rent a storage unit on a monthly basis with no long-term commitment, you can rent a storage unit temporarily, only for the duration of the home staging and selling period. This flexibility allows you to greatly minimize your storage expense!

Stage the Most Important Rooms

Not all rooms are considered equal when it comes to home staging. You want to focus your efforts on the rooms that have the greatest potential to influence buyers’ decisions, and spend less time on the rooms that will not make much of a difference.

Rooms that hold the most importance for buyers are the living room, master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room. These are the rooms that you want to focus on the most when staging a home. Here’s how you can stage the four rooms:

Living Room

The living room is where families come together. Potential buyers need to see that there is enough room to fit their family comfortably in the space. They may also have concerns about entertaining guests or being able to place a television in a convenient location.

An empty space can be difficult to gauge visually, but clutter can make a room feel cramped even if it is not. Focus staging on creating a suitable conversation area. Keep accessories to a minimum, but do include some. For example, instead of an empty coffee table, place a book and a small teapot with a cup, or put a small flower arrangement in a lovely vase.

You also want to include multiple light sources, and leave them turned on during the showings to keep the space lit and bright. Do not forget to clean every surface thoroughly.

Kitchen

Since the kitchen is not usually thought of as a place for furniture, it does not always come to mind as a room that needs staging. However, the kitchen is a key factor in the sale of your home. That means you want to make sure it is presented in a way that makes it look functional and spacious.

Declutter as much as possible, and try to leave no more than three key appliances on the countertop. You can keep related items nearby. For example, a ceramic canister marked “Coffee” next to a coffee maker will look good, but make sure any excess items are put away. You do not want to overstuff your cabinets either, as potential buyers will likely open them. This could require relocating belongings during showings.

Feel free to add an open, strategically-placed cookbook or add a bowl of fruit to the counter. You can also include fresh flowers to bring life into the space. If you have a breakfast bar you can add place settings to show the intended use.

Master bedroom

The master bedroom needs to look like a restful retreat. This means decluttering and making sure all clothing items are properly hung or stored. Make the bed appear welcoming with freshly washed linens, comfortable throw pillows, and maybe an extra blanket near the foot. Turn on table lamps placed on nightstands, but limit other décor. This is another place where adding a book is perfectly acceptable.

Do not worry as much about the rooms that have less influence, such as guest bedrooms, children’s bedrooms, and bathrooms.

Dining Room

A dining room is seen as a sophisticated space, but it also needs to be comfortable. Leaving the space empty can make it feel dark and gloomy, especially if there are few windows or it has a dark paint color on the walls. Staging the space can make it appear larger and more functional.

Make sure the table is the right size for the room. If it is too big, and you can remove a leaf, then do so. Too small? Then add another leaf. Alternatively, you may be able to get a new tabletop for the base to make the table appear larger.

You can choose to set the table with nice place settings, or create a focal point on the table with appropriate home décor items. Often, it is better to put something on the table than to leave it empty: an empty table can seem uninviting, and that is not the feeling you want to inspire in potential buyers when viewing your home.

Repair House Issues

When staging your home, it is a good time to tackle the tiny nicks, scratches, holes, or other impurities that adversely impact buyers’ views about your property. Start with a melamine foam eraser pad and go room to room removing any scuffs from walls. You may need to do some paint touch ups too, if you notice areas where previously applied paint has chipped. Keep an eye out for any areas that could use a little TLC, then spackle and caulk as necessary. These easy fixes will help you show that your property is in exceptional condition!

Brighten Up Your Home

Brighten up your space by letting as much light shine into the house as possible to make your house more welcoming. You can open all your blinds, which in addition to letting in more light will also make rooms seem bigger. During showings, turn on all the lights in your house, including lamps and closet lights. Doing this will help make your home delightfully cozy and bright, which will help prospective buyers get a positive feeling about living at your property.

Questions? Feel free to call us at 1.866.647.8673 or contact us online at https://www.selfstorage.ca/contact-us and our staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have!

Looking to reserve a storage unit? Find a self storage facility near you:

29th Annual Festival of Trees Victoria

The 29th Annual Festival of Trees Victoria is happening Nov 19, 2020 – Jan 5, 2021. The Bay Centre Victoria has been transformed into a lush forest of beautifully hand-decorated trees done by local sponsors, businesses and organizations to raise funds for the BC’s Children’s Hospital. Guests can bring their loved ones, marvel in the magic of Victoria’s community spirit and vote for their favorite tree. Visit the Bay Centre Victoria website for holiday hours.

Donate to vote for our U-Lock tree and help raise money for the BC Children’s Hospital by texting TREE014 to 45678, or visit our Fundraising Page to make a donation.

Your support will help provide the best care imaginable for sick and injured kids from across the province, including the 3,300 kids from Vancouver Island who visit BC Children’s Hospital each year for specialized care they often can’t get anywhere else.

How to Select the Best Storage Unit Size for Your Needs

What storage unit size should I rent? The answer to this question depends heavily on your needs, since storage units come in various sizes and features. Factors such as the intended use, the number and types of items you want to store, and availability of units also influence your decision of finding a storage unit that is best suited for you.

Here are 4 useful tips to select the best storage unit for you!

1. Determine the storage unit’s primary function

To select a storage unit that best suits you, the first step is defining the main function of the storage unit. For example, are you renting a storage unit so you can declutter your home for staging? Are you moving abroad for 12 months and are looking for a long-term rental? These are fantastic questions to ask yourself to get yourself started on finding a suitable storage unit.

Other relevant questions you can ask yourself are:

Am I looking to store business inventory for the next three to six months?
Is it likely that I’ll need extra space six months down the road?
Do I need temporary storage for a move or home staging?
Do I need to store some items indefinitely?
Will I be rotating items in and out of the unit?

By clearly answering some of these questions, you will have a better idea of the storage unit size you should seek. For example, if you plan to store business inventory for the long-run and are expecting to store more items in the future, you can rent a larger unit with some room to grow.

On the other hand, if you only need to store items during a temporary move, you can pick a unit that is suitable for your belongings. Since the amount of items in your storage unit is unlikely to change, you will not need to rent a storage unit that has excess room.

2. Create an inventory list

You may have a general idea of which items you want to store in the storage unit, but walking through your house and developing a list is the ideal way to clearly identify items you want to store.

Sometimes you may not even realize how many items you need to store until you list them all.

When making your inventory list, remember to also do the following:

Count the number of items that will go into storage.
Get approximate measurements of your items to calculate the amount of space you need.
Place all the items you want to store in one location at your home to visualize and measure the amount of space you need.

3. Measure the Amount of Storage Space You Need

If you have a hard time conceptualizing space, you can try this trick: in your driveway or another open area, use masking tape to mark off the space of an approximate size of a storage unit you need. For example, you can mark off 5 feet by 5 feet or 5 feet by 7 feet. Then, place items you want to store inside to see if all the items fit in the marked area.

4. When in Doubt, Rent a Large Unit Size

Being more economically conservative by selecting a storage unit that is smaller than you need is not always a good idea for safety reasons. For example, you should avoid packing boxes more than four feet high. Also, you should avoid stacking more than two pieces of furniture. Doing so could result in damage to your belongings or become a hazard when unpacking.

Additionally, take note that sometimes a larger-sized unit is only a couple more dollars a month. In some cases, a larger unit might be less expensive if there is more availability. You could also save money on a larger storage unit if the rental is not climate controlled. Do not let the larger size deter you before you have a chance to run the numbers.

Questions? Feel free to call us at 1.866.647.8673 or contact us online at https://www.selfstorage.ca/contact-us and our staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have!

Looking to reserve a storage unit? Find a self storage facility near you:

Small Business Inventory Management: Tools and Tips for This Holiday Season

Managing business inventory for your small business requires a tremendous amount of detail. Business owners have to keep track of incoming inventory, current inventory, and processed inventory. If the inventory is not tracked diligently, the unorganized inventory will become a bookkeeping and inventory management disaster.

To help you better manage your business inventory, here are four tips you can use.

1. Store Old Inventory In a Heat-Controlled Storage Unit

Once the new season arrives, it is time to store your old inventory and make room in your store to display the new inventory!

If you are running out of space in your store or if you do not have a secure perimeter, rent a heat-controlled storage unit.

By renting a climate-controlled storage unit, you will be able to:

Protect items from extreme heat, cold, or humidity. A heat-controlled storage unit continuously circulates the air which keeps the air in the storage unit clean. This efficient circulation of air prevents your stored items from being exposed to harmful levels of humidity and dryness, which could potentially cause damage.
Manage humidity control level. This control is critical in preserving your items in good condition because your items may warp or decay if there is too much humidity in the air. By storing your items in a heat-controlled storage unit, you will keep your belongings in a space with approximately 55% base humidity.
Protect items from pests. Dissimilar to outdoor storage units that are not completely sealed, indoor climate-controlled storage units are fully sealed, which prevents unwanted guests, such as bugs, rodents, or moths, from invading your storage and damaging your items.
Protect items from debris. Heat-controlled storage units are located deep within a storage facility and have sealed and insulated roofs, walls, and floors. This robust sealing helps prevent dust and debris from entering your climate-controlled unit.

2. Keep Track of Your Low-Turn Stock

Low-turn stock is a product that has not sold in the last 6 to 12 months. It is a good business strategy to store a low-turn product and make space for your top sellers. For example, if you have some winter coats that are not selling well, you can store the coats in a storage unit to make space for other items. To promote the winter coats, you can use digital marketing approaches such as sending out email campaigns or promoting them through social media or your eCommerce website so your customers can purchase them online.

In addition, you can store these coats for the next short while in a storage unit and bring them out again when it is autumn or winter season and you can promote the coat actively through heavy discounts or promotions.

Using this approach helps your business greatly reduce the amount of wasted space in your store.

3. Use Inventory Management Apps

There are a number of inventory management apps you can use to better manage the flow of your inventory.

Inventory management software is one of the best ways to improve how you manage your small business inventory. There are many software options that can help small businesses digitize their inventory in a way that helps them keep track of it, forecast demand, and analyze inventory from various devices like your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Some management apps for you to choose from include:

Zoho

TopShelf Inventory Management Software

Inventory Now

4. Audit Your Inventory Regularly For Quality Control

Finally, you never, ever, want to forget about quality control. No matter what you sell, you want to make sure that your product looks good, works right, and does what it is supposed to do. Some businesses have a person in charge of quality control, while others have a team that does quick checks during stock audits or when the stock is coming in, to check for damages and other issues.

When your product is of the highest quality, it shows your customers that you care about what your business produces. This also helps with inventory management by filtering products to ensure that your shelves are stocked with only the best products at all times.

When you find products that have minor flaws, you can store them in a storage unit and sell them online at a discount rate, letting your customers know about the flaws. That way, broken, faulty, or aesthetically displeasing products will not clutter your storeroom, giving your best products the spotlight they deserve. Taking this approach lets you create space for higher value products in your store and sell products of the best quality.

Questions? Feel free to call us at 1.866.647.8673 or contact us online at https://www.selfstorage.ca/contact-us and our staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have!

Looking to reserve a storage unit? Find a self storage facility near you: