One of the many reasons ‘guitar man’ decided to use Lok’nStore was because of the safety and security aspect at all of our self storage facilities across the South East.  He was very pleased to find out that Lok’nStore are always fully staffed during opening hours, and when closed, the storage centres are all fully alarmed and all protected by CCTV.

• Our customers tell us they are ‘comforted’ by the knowledge that there is a friendly member of staff on hand at ‘all times’ during opening hours, and they feel much safer knowing that they are not the only person at the storage facility.

If you are having problems with clutter in your home, or even if you have a large unmanageable collection; we can help.  Call your nearest Lok’nStore today for an informal, free, friendly chat with one of our staff who ‘will’ solve all your clutter and storage problems.  We are is the solution to your clutter problem: contact us today! Call our free phone direct line on 0800 587 3322 or visit loknstore.co.uk to find your nearest storage location.

Guitar storage: No strings attached!

Compulsive hoarding.

Wikipedia describes compulsive hoarding (or pathological collecting) as: ‘characterized by the excessive acquisition of and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that would seemingly qualify as useless or without value.’  Hoarding is something that I have had experience of myself in the past.  Many years ago, I worked one summer for a painter and decorator.  One of his regular customers was a lovely old lady, who lived on her own in a bungalow.  The first time we arrived at her property to commence work, I remember it looking very respectable and tidy on the outside, in a very well-to-do neighbourhood.  Once inside however, it was a different story.  Nearly every room was full, floor to ceilings, with old newspapers.  Each room had a little path through it with just enough space to turn around in amongst the old copies of The Telegraph and The Times.  We had to gradually move her collection of newspapers around each room as we decorated the walls and ceilings of her bungalow. Don’t though, for one minute think that this is an isolated case, because research suggests that hoarding is highly prevalent – approximately 2-5% of the population: that is potentially over 1.2 million people in the UK alone.  This particular old ladies hoarding habit isn’t actually an uncommon one, with the keeping of junk mail; old catalogues, clothes that ‘might’ be worn one day, freebies, general broken things and rubbish being the most common. Many hoarders’ end up with homes so cluttered and inaccessible that they:

• Can no longer sleep in a bed.
• Have unhygienic kitchens that cannot be cooked in.  This can also include refrigerators full of rotting food.
• Dinning room and kitchen tables that can’t be used or sat at.
• Chairs or sofas that cannot be used for seating.
• Filthy insanitary conditions in bathrooms; piles of human faeces collected in areas of the home.  Sometimes there are animal faeces over the floors of the home, or giant bags of dirty nappies hoarded for many years.
• Hoarders are also known to keep too many animals, that cannot be even marginally cared for in their cluttered home.

The clutter and mess is often so bad that it causes the hoarder illness, distress and impairment.  Examples of this can be the hoarder not allowing friends or family into the property, because of embarrassment; curtains being kept closed so that neighbours can’t see inside, and a general feeling of depression or anxiousness because of the clutter.  Also add to this, the risk to the hoarders health from infestation by rats or mice, and even the chance of fire in a property with little space to escape!

Help for those who maybe suffering, or should you know someone who is struggling with compulsive hoarding can be found at Help for Hoarders or apdo-uk: the Association of Professional De-clutterers & Organisers. Free, friendly advice can also be obtained from your local Lok’nStore Self Storage facility, including everything you need to de-clutter any home, with a range of low cost cardboard boxes and storage services to help any hoarder or collector make a little more space in their home.

• Those bicycles that you haven’t used since last summer, that are chucked on their sides on the floor, just waiting to trip mum or dad up (where the kids left them), could be hung up on the wall. All the major home improvement stores sell special brackets that enable you to easily store away a bicycle, safely and securely.
• The same goes for ladders, which take up huge amounts of space, but are only needed occasionally round the home. There are a number of wall fixings available that will hold a ladder safely, and securely on a wall, whether in the garage or on a wall out round the side or back of your property.
• Remember those expensive golf clubs that you said you ‘just had to own’? The ones in that fancy golf bag; slung into the corner of your garage.  These can be neatly stored away in a golf storage rack in your garage, or maybe even put into self storage.
• That day-glow ski equipment that you used in Klosters last month, isn’t going to be seeing the light of day for a while now. Why not put the skis / snowboard / pink ski suit into a small 25 sqft self storage unit at your local Lok’nStore for a very small cost. They will be kept safe, and out of way over the summer until you need them again.
• Garages and sheds seem to acquire allsorts of general clutter. Have a look at what you have and be ruthless. If you think you’ll use the item again in the future, box it up and pop it onto a shelf; up into the loft, or put it into a small storage unit at Lok’nStore.  But should you look, with great regret at the ‘Abs and Tummy Flexer’ – that has a large spiders web built onto it – and think ‘I’m never going there again,’ then drop it off at your local charity shop or maybe even your local council dump!

De-cluttering your garden shed or garage is easy, even during periods of bad weather.  With just a little (ruthless) effort, you could even create enough space in your garage to fit the car back inside! De-cluttering is a great way of tidying up your home (plus your mind), and generally giving yourself more space.

Given that you can store almost anything at a Lok’nStore self storage facility, you might be surprised to find out, that there are a just few items that you cannot put into self storage.  To be fair though, it is not something you should worry about too much:  Most of the items on Lok’nStore’s forbidden list are not the typical type of thing, that a householder, or business would want to put into a storage unit in the first place.  Remember:  You can store almost anything at Lok’nStore self storage centres, as long as it’s not perishable, flammable or illegal!

So what are examples of the items, that you cannot store at a Lok’nStore self storage facility?

• ‘Can I store 200 punnets of strawberries and half a ton of freshly caught mackerel while I go off travelling round the world, for the next 6 months?’  – Now, let’s have a little think about that:  While you are off gallivanting around the world sightseeing, your strawberries will have turned green, and your fresh mackerel will have developed a slightly unfriendly aroma!  Unfortunately, you cannot put any perishable food or goods into storage at Lok’nStore.
• ‘Can I store all my spare petrol and diesel in a Lok’nStore storage unit, so that I’m covered for the next fuel shortage?’  -  Obviously it goes without saying that you cannot store gas, petrol, diesel or anything flammable at a Lok’nstore storage facility.
• ‘I have recently brought a lorry load of fireworks from my mate Monkey Harris; and need storage for them.  Can you help?’ – Once again, fireworks or explosives cannot be put into storage at Lok’nStore.
• ‘I represent a company that needs to store barrels of chemicals whilst the safety inspectors are at our factory.  Can we use Lok’nStore please?’ – Dangerous chemicals are most definitely on the Lok’nStore forbidden list, but ask your local Lok’nStore for free advice if you are unsure.
• ‘My name is “Robin Banks,” and I have a large consignment of used £20 notes that I need to store away for a bit till the heat dies down.  How’s about letting me use your storage facility, because I’ve never trusted banks <nudge nudge wink wink>?’ – You cannot store any items of an illegal nature at a Lok’nStore storage facility. Our staff have been highly trained to spot such items and are always on the lookout.
• ‘I recently purchased an African Elephant on EBay, and I’m struggling to find room for it at my home, as I live in a small cluttered 2 bedroom house.  Could Lok’nStore rent me a Nelly sized storage unit?’ – As much as we might enjoy a menagerie of pets and animals in our centres, we would have to inform you: Animals are also on our forbidden list and cannot be put into storage.   We might however; suggest that you could clear out the clutter from your spare bedroom, and then put ‘these items’ into storage at a Lok’nstore centre?  You could then squeeze Nelly into your spare bedroom – problem solved!

That’s it!  The Lok’nStore forbidden items list is very small as you can see, and is only for the benefit, wellbeing and safety of our customers and staff, at our 22 storage locations.  Please do give us a call if you have any questions about what you ‘can’ or ‘cannot’ store at a Lok’nStore facility.  The staff at our storage centres are very knowledgeable about the world of self storage, and may in fact be able to help you find alternative storage for your forbidden items at a more suitable location.  For your nearest self storage centre please visit our website storage location page or if you’re not sure use our handy postcode locator, or give us a call on 0800 587 3322.

Please can I put my pet elephant into self storage?

Elephant image courtesy of: Zorger.com

Are You Reading About Self Storage Reading?!

We wouldn’t normally introduce such a word as “homonym” to a self storage blog but we have an odd situation with our Reading Self Storage centre in that the word “reading” is a town name and the word for reading – as in a book or newspaper! And the word for that type of thing is a homonym where the same spelling for a word which looks identical but has two or more different meanings. (Like “mean” – don’t be nasty and “mean”  – to intend to do something and also “mean” – as in the meaning of life!)

I expect that the town of Reading has this problem all the time especially in these days of internet searching. What would happen if you wrote a book about Reading (town)… You could be reading “Reading”. No-one would ever find it in searches because a search for reading book would not show your book about the town, just a bunch of results about reading!

Enough said. You know what I mean.

 (We must ask our guys from Lok’nstore Reading for other interesting reading confusions…)

As cities strive to maximise and find space in their modern construction projects, Japan has had to become one of the specialists in this area with Tokyo - and several surrounding prefectures - being the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.  Space here comes at a premium, so anywhere and everywhere has to be used for storage: even if it means building underground!  The Gilken Company (Designing under the concept of “Culture Aboveground, Function Underground”) in Japan has found an ingenious way to store bicycles for commuters, by literally building their buildings: upside down.  Gilken have constructed these Eco friendly, fully automated underground garages that on first glance look a little like ATM machines.

To use these unmanned (unlike Lok’nStore storage centres which are always manned during open hours) bike storage facilities, you just have to place the front wheel of your bike onto the runway.  There is a slot opposite to pop your membership card into, and once the machinery has recognised you, it sucks your bike away safely into the abyss.  It takes around 15 – 20 seconds for your bike to descend into the underground storage facility, where it is placed automatically into its own little underground slot, with space for up to 144 bikes.  The retrieval process works in opposite, with your bike being safely returned to you once the machine has verified your id membership card.  It takes Gilken about fifty days to build one of these facilities from scratch by using prefabricated structural cylinder piles that are ‘pressed-in’ to the ground with large piling machines to minimize vibration and noise.

The biggest advantage to be found in using this type of storage facility for your bicycle obviously has to be security.  Your bike is safely stored out of the way, and out of the sight of potential thieves, thus leaving you able to go about your daily chores without the worry of having your bike stolen or damaged. These facilities also tend to be built in locations with the commuter in mind, so also have huge environmental benefits.  The other positive aspect is that it keeps bikes from being chained up to lampposts and railings, which at times can cause a dangerous obstruction to pedestrians, or are at least an annoyance to non cyclists.

But…one of the key changes in the 2012 Budget that we obviously noticed at the Lok’nStore Blog; is this announcement about the self storage industry:

“Over time, significant anomalies have developed in the VAT system.  These cause very similar products to be taxed very differently.  Budget 2012 announces that the government will take steps to correct certain anomalies. From 1^st October 2012, VAT will be extended to reduce anomalies, including the use of self storage (to align it with other forms of storage) and alterations to listed buildings (to align with the existing VAT treatment of repairs).”

Now for those of you still awake, and left wondering whether we’ve gone mad at the Lok’nStore Blog, I’ll explain the Chancellors announcement in plain English:  Basically, this means that from October 2012 ALL self storage companies will be required to charge VAT on self storage rental to both new and existing customers.

Oh no, what terrible news!  Well actually it’s not really that terrible at all if you’re a Lok’nStore customer:  Why’s that? –  Because Lok’nStore already charges VAT on storage, so there will be no change for our customers.

That’s correct: because Lok’nStore has always charged VAT (enabling our business customers to claim back the VAT), we won’t be making any changes in regard to the Chancellors announcement for existing or new customers – nice that isn’t it?

Lok’nStore has always strived to provide low cost, safe, secure, friendly self storage for personal and business customers alike, and they will continue to do so in the future.  The changes to VAT just means that we can provide the same great service as we always have; at the same lowest price – guaranteed.  So if you’re an existing or new Lok’nStore customer, it’s all good news really, you can just “Keep calm and carry on at Lok’nStore.”         

All Lok’nStore Storage centres are fully staffed

Lok’nStore maintains a full staff presence at all our storage centres during opening hours.  When our facilities are closed, all the centres are locked shut, with absolutely no customer access available! They are protected by motion and fire alarms (linked to the Police and security company) and 24hr CCTV: until they reopen.  Your goods and belongings are safe and secure at Lok’nStore, until you return to collect them.

Only ‘you’ have a key to ‘your’ storage unit

When you leave your goods with us, you padlock your private storage unit and take the key away with you. Only ‘you’ the customer has a key; meaning that only ‘you’ can get access to your precious belongings in your storage unit.

24hr CCTV in all storage facilities

All Lok’nStore centres have fully monitored 24hr CCTV for your safety and protection.  Staff are present at all our storage sites during opening hours and monitor all CCTV areas for your safety and security.

Customers and visitors sign in and out at Lok’nStore

All customers visiting any Lok’nStore storage centre have to sign in and out whenever they visit us.  This is for ‘your’ security and safety, and lets centre staff know when you are in the centre.

If you have any questions regarding our very successful security measures and controls; please call your nearest storage centre.  All our storage locations area available at www.loknstore.co.uk

Safe and secure at Lok'nStore.

In these days of economic woe, and the fiscal tightening of real and imaginary wallets; the cost of services has become more important than ever when selecting any service, or the purchasing of any product.  This seems especially important when you consider that the costs involved with moving home have spiralled upwards over the last few years.   Nobody wants to pay over the top prices for any service or product; at Lok’nStore we agree with this notion 100%.

Lok’nStore guarantees householders and businesses the lowest priced self storage

Lok'nStore: The big friendly storage company.

Here at Lok’nStore we offer the cheapest local self storage for householders and businesses alike.  How do we know?  Because we check our prices every day to make sure. We are confident that we will provide you with the lowest prices around, but should we have missed something (we are only human after all), give us a call and we’ll guarantee you a cheaper price than any similar local storage company offers.

Storage at a Lok’nStore facility is also cheaper because you will only ever pay for the storage you use.  What do we mean by this?  I’ll explain:  If you rent a storage room or unit from us, and you find that after a few weeks or months that you have gradually moved your belongings out, you can swap that unit for a smaller one: thus reducing your costs!  This is doubly important for businesses that may have different amounts of stock coming and going.  At Lok’nStore you will also not have to sign any long contracts for any storage space you rent. For a business this is superb.  You can expand and contract your storage space as your business requires.

To find out how much a Lok’nStore storage unit costs at one of your local facilities, please call on FREE PHONE 0800 587 3322 or visit the self storage locations page at www.loknstore.co.uk

You can also get a no pressure quote or even book online at our website if you should wish to do so.  Lok’nStore prides itself in offering cheap, secure and friendly self storage at 22 locations across the South East of England.

1. Not enough room for day-to-day items

Limited space inspires creative problem solving, but even the most organized of homeowners can run out of space at some point. Freeing up space within your closets, rooms and garage will literally give you breathing room.

2. Saving family heirlooms and hand-me-downs

Perhaps you are struggling like many families to find space to keep valuable antiques or heirlooms to pass on to their children and grandchildren. Or your family is young and you’re living in a smaller home, hanging on to hand-me-down clothes and furniture for growing children and future new arrivals. Even if you just want to hang on to valuable personal belongings that don’t suit the current décor of your home, a self-storage unit can provide the “archival” space you need to keep valuable space in your home free for new growth and change.

3. Downsizing to a smaller home

If you are reducing the number of bedrooms, basement or attic space where you can store extra furniture, a storage unit is a great place to store extra mattresses and bed frames, dressers and mirrors, coffee tables and couches, and TVs and stereos.  A new home, condo or apartment can come with appliances and furniture that you already have. Until you have time to sell or donate your unwanted appliances, or if you wish to keep them until you’re sure what your plan is, a self-storage facility can be an ideal option. A drive-up garage-style self-storage unit works well for storing an extra car, motorcycle, truck or van.

4. Extended absence

Being able to take a long trip without paying rent or a mortgage can free you up to explore the world, or give you peace of mind as you leave for military deployment or temporary work assignment. Self-storage units are an affordable way to be flexible and adaptive during these extended absences.

5. Life in limbo

Whether you’re caught between two house closings, living in the upheaval of major renovations, or a student preparing to move home for the summer, a self-storage space can be a convenient answer for storing your belongs in the interim.

6. More room for toys

If you love the outdoors, you probably have lots of equipment that you use during certain times of the year. A self-storage unit can give you the extra square footage you need to keep the bikes and golf clubs accessible while keeping room in your garage for toys you use frequently or all year long.

A self-storage unit is a great place to store:
• Boats, inner tubes, rafts, canoes or kayaks
• Camping and climbing equipment
• Skis, snow boards or surf boards
• Jet skis, ATVs and other small-engine vehicles
• Golf carts and clubs
• Recreational vehicles (RVs)
• Classic and show cars

For hobbyists, a self-storage space can mean more room to keep:

• Photos and photography equipment
• Musical instruments and DJ / production equipment
• Collections of books, magazines, wine, comic books, collectibles, videos, etc.
• Craft and hobby supplies

7. Selling a home

As you prepare to sell a house, a self-storage unit can be useful in hiding away personal belongings for proper staging.

8. Seasonal storage

A self-storage unit can be used to store away household items you only during certain times of the year, such as:

• Artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations
• Patio furniture
• Pool equipment and supplies
• Lawn mowers and other yard equipment
• Off-season clothing and outerwear

9. Offsite security

Storing copies of important documents and data in a separate physical location is a smart idea. In case of flood, fire or other catastrophic damage affecting your home, having a second set of medical, legal, financial and insurance-related documents, as well as backups of computer hard drives and software in your self-storage unit can prove critically important.

Keeping a stock of canned and other non-perishable food, a generator and other emergency supplies can be beneficial not just in your home, but also in a self-storage unit, especially in areas prone to natural disasters.

10. Paying the bills
If your home is also your place of business, a self-storage unit can give you the equivalent of an inexpensive warehouse to store:

• Inventory for home-based businesses
• Home office supplies
• Farming equipment
• Saws, tools and equipment

Lok’Storage facility managers are pros at putting self-storage space to the best use. Be sure to ask them any questions you may have about making your extra space work for you.

Beautiful under the stairs storage.

One of the least used areas for storage in the home is under the stairs.  Home of the hoover; the dust pan and brush and numerous pairs of welly boots, the cupboard under the stairs has long been a much maligned area of potential storage beauty.  One of the best looking and loveliest storage ideas we have seen is this idea by Oyster Works.

Based on a traditional Japanese design, these pull out draws are fitted under the stairs to make a practical, yet good looking solution to de-cluttering.

Whether short or long term; house or flat, most of us have had to rent a property at one time or another.  For the next few years we may even see more and more people renting as the deflated housing market, and lack of credit prevents most of us from doing what we all ultimately want to do – buy or own, our own house or flat.  But until we can buy, many of us will; for the moment, have to keep renting.

Self storage can help if you live in a small property.

One of the many issues with renting a property can be the period between rentals.  What do I mean?  Well say you are moving out of a flat you are renting during the first week of the month, but you can’t get into the lovely new house you are renting until the end of the month – what do you do?

Where are you going to put all your furniture and belongings over the three weeks when you temporarily have no home?

Self storage at Lok’nStore is the solution to your problem.  Rent one of our storage units for the few weeks you have no home.  You can put all your furniture, personal belongings, and goods into one of our low cost storage units until needed.  Remember: at Lok’nStore you only pay for the storage space that you use – and you can rent storage from as little as one week!  Unfortunately you’ll still have to go and stay with your Uncle Jeff’s until you can get the keys for your new house, but as least you will know that your furniture is safe.

One of the other reasons you may need storage space at Lok’nStore is because the flat or house you are renting might be the tiniest property in the world!  The property I’m living in at the moment has no built in storage space at all:  not a single cupboard under the stairs; loft, garden shed or broom cupboard.  This is a very common problem when renting, and one that can easily be solved by using the services of Lok’nStore.  A small storage unit at one of our centres would give you more space in your home, at a fraction of the cost of renting a bigger home.

Don’t forget – renting space at Lok’nStore, is cheaper than renting more space with a landlord!

Have you also noticed how rental properties never, ever seem to have enough storage space?  I recently looked at a property to rent where the landlord had filled the attic with his furniture and goods – leaving a padlock on the hatch so nobody else could use it.  This meant the property (I didn’t rent it for obvious reasons) had absolutely no storage space of its own.  Another case I know of featured a friend of mine who rented a property where the landlord had left sealed boxes containing his own personal belongings on the tops of the wardrobes!  Both of these situations could have been resolved by the landlord using a Lok’nStore self storage facility to store away their goods and personal belongings.  This would also make the property look larger and more airy when looking for new tenants, but it would also guarantee that the landlord’s goods would be safely locked away from prying eyes.

So you see there are many ways that storage when renting can benefit both the tenant and the landlord.  If you are a landlord or a tenant and you think that Lok’nStore can help you to create more space, give your local facility a call today for a chat, or visit our website at www.loknstore.co.uk for more details and information on our services.