Guide to Storage for Relocating Seniors

All My Sons Moving & Storage provides top-rated residential moving services for individuals and families across the nation, and we have extensive experience moving seniors. As the official mover of AARP, All My Sons Moving & Storage is trusted to care for the unique needs of older adults during their moves.

Seniors face specific challenges when relocating like mobility issues, budgeting on a fixed income, being the target of moving scams, and handling a lifetime's worth of sentimental belongings. Renting storage is a great way to hang onto items you may not have the physical space for but want to keep on hand indefinitely. But what storage options work best for seniors and how should seniors go about getting a storage unit?

This guide offers a 6-step process for seniors moving into storage.

After you’ve lived in a home for many years, you will undoubtedly have accumulated many treasured items. At All My Sons Moving & Storage, we understand that things matter and all the items you choose to put into storage will likely mean something significant to you. One of the hardest and most emotionally taxing parts of moving for seniors is deciding which items you will let go of. Before you decide to spend time, energy, and money keeping something on hand in storage, make sure that item is worth its weight in sentimental value.

Declutter your household inventory room by room. Sort items into five major categories.

• Discard: Items that are not in good, functional condition or that would be meaningless to another person should be responsibly discarded. For bulky unwanted items, you can call a junk removal company like Junk.com as soon as same day to pick up the item and ethically dispose of it.

• Keep: Your essentials and the items that you cannot be parted with should come with you to your next home. 

• Donate: Items in good condition that could be used by another person should be donated to a charity of your choosing. You can ask a national charity like the Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity for a donation pickup, or you can choose a local cause to offer your items to for free.

• Sell: Items in excellent condition with high monetary value could be sold. Try listing your item on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp if you want to connect with someone buying in your local area. Items that are vintage or antiques might find an interested buyer on eBay. 

• Store: Items you are not willing to part with that you would like to keep on hand for the future. These include heirlooms and seasonal items. Do not store items like perishables, fine jewelry, medications, or important documents.

If you’re unsure whether or not to store an item, ask yourself the item itself is special or the memories associated with the item are what’s special about the item. You can preserve memories without saving items in their entirety, such as digitizing photo albums or turning a bunch of old T-shirts into a quilt.  

Ask for help from trusted family and friends to help make the downsizing process easier on you. 

When choosing where to store items, you have a variety of options available to you. What works best for you will depend on your budget, how long storage is needed, what’s being stored, and how often you want to access your items.

Here's a breakdown of every major storage option.

• Self-Storage Units: When you think of renting storage, a self-storage facility is probably the first thing that comes to mind. With self-storage, you rent a dedicated unit at a facility where you can access your belongings on your schedule. These units typically are rented on month to month contracts. You would load the unit yourself or with movers, and then you can later visit the unit during the facility’s access hours. Unit sizes run from 5x5 closet-sized storage spaces to 10x20+ spaces designed to hold a full household. 

• Portable storage: This storage solution has a company deliver a large, weatherproof container (typically at least 8x8, and going up to 8x16) to your home. You fill the container yourself at your own pace, and the company picks the container up and stores it at a warehouse. This option works best for seniors who want to pack on their own timeline, and the moving container can also be transported directly to the new home when the time in storage is done. However, access might be limited. Once the container is at the warehouse, retrieving items would require having the container redelivered.

• Full-Service Storage: This option is often totally hands-off. Movers come to your location, pick up your items intended for storage, and pack them into a secure warehouse. When you are ready to retrieve your items, you request a delivery. This option works great for seniors who cannot physically manage loading, packing, and unloading their belongings. As with portable storage containers, access once items are in storage is limited. You will have to request a delivery if you want to retrieve anything from storage.

Some seniors use a combination of storage options during their relocation, such as putting furniture in full-service storage and holiday decorations in a self-storage facility.

When considering a storage facility, ask about these features for your unit and be sure you understand what’s being offered.

• Climate-control: These units maintain a steady temperature and humidity level, which is critical for sensitive items like wood furniture, artwork, photographs, musical instruments, and electronics. Standard units are less expensive but expose items to heat, cold, and moisture. During a hot, humid summer or an extremely cold winter, your items could suffer unrepairable damage.  

• Drive-Up Units: These units at a self-storage facility are located on the ground floor on the outside of the building. You can easily pull a vehicle like a moving truck right up to them. 

• Security: Most storage facilities offer controlled access through gates codes as well as security features like cameras and on-site staff. Ask about what surveillance is available at your facility.

• Insurance: Your regular homeowner’s or renter’s insurance may not cover your items while they are in storage, but many facilities offer insurance options in addition to your regular rate. Read through the policies to understand what is covered. 

One of the first questions you should ask yourself when renting storage is how often you want to access your items while they are stored. If you do not believe you need access to your items at all, then a portable storage container or a full-service storage company may meet your needs.

If you have items you would like to retrieve from storage on a regular basis, such as holiday decorations or seasonal yard tools, you should consider the ease of accessing your storage unit. A drive-up storage unit is easier to get into than a third floor unit. For many seniors, a ground-floor unit may be worth the extra premium.

Consider your self-storage facility’s access hours and whether or not they will work with your schedule. Some facilities offer 24 hour access, but it may come at an extra monthly cost.

As a senior renting storage, one of your major concerns might be how much a unit costs per month. It’s important to look beyond the initial sticker price you’re offered and read your contact carefully so you fully understand what costs might come up in the future.

Watch out for the following in your storage rental contract.

• Late Fees: If for some reason you were unable to pay the rent for the unit on time your storage facility may assess late fees to your balance. Ask about how much late fees are and when they are applied. You may have a grace period before your first late fees, or there may be a procedure for waiving late fees.

• Rate increases: Some self-storage facilities will get you into a unit on a promotional price, and then raise your rate when the promotion expires. There also may be regular rate increases to keep up with market trends and combat rising costs. Ask about how long your rental rate is good for and what the procedure is for notifying you if there is going to be a rate increase.

• Default & Lien Trigger: When your unit is overdue it might go into lien status. At this point a lien fee might be applied and your unit may even become eligible for auction. Different states have slightly different mandatory notifications and legally required waiting periods before a storage facility is allowed to auction units off. A unit can go into lien status anywhere from 30 to 90 days past due. Read your contract and ask your storage facility’s manager for clarification regarding lien status.

When you fully understand the terms of your contract and the associated costs with keeping a storage unit, you can sign on the dotted line and prepare to move in.

Now that you have selected the right storage solution and unit for your needs, it’s time to move in. If you are hiring movers, you should work with licensed and insured movers who specialize in senior relocations. 

Always prepare your items for storage before moving into a self-storage unit. Ensure items are clean and dry, and that you have removed batteries from any electronic devices. Pack items vulnerable to moisture with desiccants and pack items vulnerable to pests with cedar chips.

• Label boxes and bins clearly: Keep an extensive inventory of your items in storage or be sure to write out the contents of your boxes in a clear, legible fashion. 

• Orient containers so labels face outward: Place boxes and bins where you can clearly see their labels to avoid hunting for the label later.

• Map the unit by ease of access: Put items that you want to retrieve frequently in accessible locations like the front of your storage unit. Items that do not get much use can safely go in the back or behind other items.

• Leave room for navigation: Space and paths through your unit will help keep contents accessible in the future. As a senior mover, you want to make solo trips to your unit as easy as possible. Leaving paths in your unit helps you avoid dragging everything out of your unit every time you need to access an item.

Taking a little extra time when you move in to organize your storage unit will help tremendously when you go to retrieve items from the unit later.

Once your items are moved into storage, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your treasures are safe. Whether you’re making a downsized move into a senior living community, riding off to the coast for your retirement move, or just need some extra space that your current living situation does not provide, renting storage allows you to keep items on hand without them being underfoot.

Making a move soon? All My Sons Moving & Storage is the official moving partner of AARP, and we understand the unique moving needs of seniors. At All My Sons, we customize our services to match whatever level of support you require. Get started on your move by clicking the quote button below.