AD | Moving to London from pretty much anywhere else in the world can feel like a bit of a stressful prospect. It’s such a big and busy place that it’s always going to feel a little challenging making the transition, but there’s a lot you can do to ease that stress. One effective solution is to use a self-storage service to keep some of your possessions safe when you first move.
Why You Should Consider Self-Storage
From providing you with more time to find a long-term place to reducing stress overall, there are plenty of benefits you can expect from a self-storage solution.
When you first move to London, you’re unlikely to find your perfect place right away. People often end up in short-term rentals for at least a few months while they look for the right place, and ideally, you don’t want to have to keep moving your stuff around while you carry out this search.
Using a storage solution such as Kiwi Storage means you can put your things away safely for a little while, allowing you time to find the right place, making it easier to stay in short-term rentals without having to lug your possessions around all the time.
Flexibility with Moving Dates
When moving home, aligning move-in and move-out dates can be tricky, especially in a busy city like London. Self-storage provides flexibility, allowing you to store your belongings temporarily if there’s a gap between leaving your old home and moving into the new one.
This is particularly helpful if you face unexpected delays (mortgage lenders and conveyancing solicitors aren’t renowned for their speed) or need to wait for your new place to be ready (renovations or new build snagging).
Safe Storage of Valuables
During a house move, it’s easy for valuable items like antiques, electronics, or important documents to get damaged or lost. Using self-storage ensures your valuables are kept in a secure, monitored facility while you handle the bulk of your move.
Facilitates Downsizing
Unless you’re moving from a similarly expensive city you’ll probably have to downsize when you move to London. Living in a smaller space will likely mean getting rid of some of your stuff, but you won’t know how much you need to get rid of until you’ve moved in.
Using a self-storage service means you can slow this process down a little, without having to declutter and throw things away all at once. It can make a big difference to how you experience the move, allowing you to really take your time.
More Time to Organise
Rather than rushing to unpack everything immediately on arrival, self-storage lets you take your time. You can store non-essential items for a while and bring them into your new home gradually, allowing for a more organised and relaxed unpacking and moving in process.
Helps with Decluttering
Even if you don’t end up having to downsize, you’ll still probably want to declutter when you move home. It’s a great opportunity to have a fresh beginning and clear out some of your items that you don’t really need, but it can be difficult to do it all at once.
Using a self-storage service allows you to take all the time you need while decluttering. You can visit the facility a couple of times a week, slowly getting rid of things as you find that you don’t need them in your new house.
Short- or Long-Term Solution
Self-storage offers both short- and long-term solutions, depending on your needs. If your new home requires renovations or you’re still unsure where to place some items, a self-storage unit provides an extended space where belongings can be kept safely until you’re ready. And you can spread out the move by storing less urgent items and reducing the load on moving day and making the process less chaotic.
Reduces Stress
The overall effect of these benefits is a substantial reduction in stress. Life in London can be pretty hectic at times, and it’s important that you take advantage of any solutions that can help ease that transition. If a self-storage service provides you with even a little more wiggle room to sort out your life in the city, then that’s reason enough to give it a shot.
Moving to or within London isn’t an easy task, but storage services can really provide you with a necessary helping hand. It might not seem like a big deal, but the benefits are almost always worth some research and any added expense.
Have you ever used self-storage services before? Would you consider this solution the next time you move home?
* This is a collaborative post – please see my Disclaimer.
Reading through this reminded me of the moving about I did when I grew up/lived in London. I did not use self-storage but I think that would have made things a lot less stressful. Great advice, I will keep things like this in mind for when I move again (or back to London one day maybe)!
I know, moving across town was a nightmare – sometimes it was only a few streets as well – SO much hassle and stuff! Thank you, Molly, glad this post was helpful.
Do not plan on moving any time soon but good to know.
Glad it was helpful. 🙂
Self-storage sounds like a great way to save time and reduce stress when moving. It’s a smart idea to have extra space and flexibility. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Doris, glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Another very helpful post! I moved so many times in London that I have lost the count, so you tips are really appreciated!
Thank you very much, I’m glad you found this helpful. 🙂
LOL I am the opposite of a hoarder, I am a tosser. I do not like clutter and have moved so often in my life I learned not to accumulate too much. And self storage can definitely come in handy. Excellent information here!
Allie
Thank you, Allie – I so wish I could say the same but my family are complete magpies, sadly!
When I moved for uni in London I did consider self-storage. In the end the place I had was so small, that I didn’t need self-storage and I could take back everything in one go (with the car). Of course, moving house is very different than a temporary accommodation for uni, so self-storage is a great option in that situation.
That’s impressive that you could take all your uni stuff in the car in one go – I needed 3 trips in all!
I loved your creative ideas. Having more time to get organized is always helpful when moving. It’s hard to get everything just right when so many things are changing at the same time. Also, I really like how a storage facility can take some of the stress out of moving when there are moving-out and moving-in date gaps!
Thank you, Heidi, and I absolutely agree about lessening the stress when moving, especially when the dates don’t align.