If you are spending time abroad with work in fully furnished rented accommodation, then you may decide to let out your home while you’re away. In this case you may find you need storage space for your possessions while you’re out of the country. Or you may find that you require storage if your new home is not ready in time for you to move in. This article contains some useful information to consider when looking into how best to store your belongings:

http://www.propertyindex.com/www/articles/features/090303/storage_for_international_moves.aspx

Have you used storage space when moving abroad? What was your experience?

Have you any further advice for people looking into how best to store their belongings?

We look forward to reading your postings.

Hi,

I have had a disastrous story about storage!

My advice is to be even more careful than you would expect you would have to be.

Go to the storage facility and see exactly where your property will be stored, perhaps even take a photo of the site.
Take photos of evrything you are storing, plus a careful inventory - which you need the storage people to sign.

Make sure the firm has a current insurance, see the policy - and make a note of the renewal date.
If your property is going to be in store after the renewal date make sure they have renewed - and see the policy.
Check their membership with the trade organisation they claim to be registered with, make sure it is current.
Make sure they will let you (or a representative) see the property every now and again.
Get a written quote for the cost of retrieving your property before you hand it over.

You will guess that these things all went wrong for me. The firm claimed to be insuring my stuff - but wasn't. They had super photos of their facilities, but my stuff was in a lock-up garage with a door secured with a few nails. They "lost" some of it. When I complained they added silly prices for recovering it from the storage site. Trading Standards recovered some of the stuff - then destroyed it for me! So I didn't have any evidence of what they had recovered making it impossible to take out a claim against the firm. It took me 3 years to get any compensation from Blackpool Trading Standards - and only then after they had been hauled over the coals by the Ombudsman, and even then only 1/3 of the value of the goods.

Take care!

We are sorry to hear of your experience which, unfortunately, is not uncommon. When choosing a storage and removals firm, and they are usually one and the same, make sure you select one which is a member of the industry trade organisation, which is the BAR (British Association of Removers - www.bar.co.uk).

It is very good advice to go and look at the storage facilities before agreeing as there are a mix of standards, to check that they are not someone's barn, and to visit your container once it has been stored. Most reputable removers and storers will be happy to let you do this, as well as provide insurance details. They would, however, need to make a small charge for their administration and their Storeman’s time to retrieve your storage containers and assist you load your vehicle correctly.

Neil Pertoldi, general manager - international, Abels Moving Services (www.abels.co.uk).

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Abels Moving Services - the UK's premier national and international remover by appointment to HM the Queen.
Wimbledon Avenue
Brandon
Suffolk
IP27 0NZ