By Maria Paulia Belgado
Special to VanLines.com

During the moving process, many people will often find a lot of stuff that they are still attached to or not but also stuff that they no longer have room for. Storage units are a great help for anyone who needs this temporary room to place their belongings. In any case, self storage lockers can definitely help you when you’re in a bind. However, don’t just rent from any storage or moving company that you may come across. There are many things to consider – price, location and customer service are probably the top three criteria when choosing a storage facility. When you make your shortlist, here are some of the important questions you need to ask them before you choose to place your belongings in their care:

What security measures do you take?
Your number one concern should be the safety of your belongings– while you definitely don’t want to put valuable items like collectibles or antiques in a storage locker, you still want to make sure your items are safe. The storage company should be able to provide you details about their security – is the 24-hour security? Do guards patrol the area? Are surveillance cameras recording all the footage and keeping them safe? These are just some of the details you need to know.

Can I rent from month-to-month?
You’ll probably have an idea of how much time you need. Most places will prefer you rent for a certain period of time, but if you’re unsure of how much time you need, you’ll want to know if you can rent on a month-to-month basis.

What type of access to do I have?
Some places give you a free reign of access to your stuff – you can come in and out as you please. However, there are some payment plans where your access is limited to one or two times per month. If you don't need access, this may save you a few dollars a month. But if you do need regular access several times a month, you’ll end up racking up big access fees.

What type of access do people need to get in?
This is a part of the security question – you’ll want to know who can come in and out of the facility and what kind of access people have. Do all visitors have to log-in? Are only renters allowed or can anyone walk in? If so, the facility may be at risk of burglaries.

Do you offer moving services as well?
If you’re storing some items in preparation for a big move, you might want to ask them if they have moving services and save yourself the trouble of having to move your stuff in and out of the storage unit. With these questions on hand, you can best determine if a storage facility is right for you. Make sure you first visit any facility and then you can decide if you feel safe leaving your belongings there.