When you’ve decided that your space and your college student’s dorm or apartment space are both exhausted, you need to start looking for a place to store the overflow. As you’ve noticed by now, your student does have overflow, and every summer it ends up in your garage or basement on top of your already extensive collection of non-essential junk.  

You could build an addition to your home; but, with the cost of an education, that’s probably not your best option. There is a solution to this problem. It’s called self-storage.There are tons of reasons to use self storage, and college is one of them. Think about the reasons a college kid should use self storage:

• Space: This is a big one. Dorm rooms are cramped. It’s great to have a place to store extra books and off-season clothing, not to mention any other strange things they may have accumulated while away at school. We prefer not to mention them.

• Security: It is an understatement to say that most students this age can be careless. Any items that they don’t use regularly will be far more secure in a safely locked storage unit that in their dorm or the trunk of their car. And, as far as summer, storing furniture and valuables at a storage facility provides a level of safety not found in a locked apartment that is abandoned until school starts again. 

• Savings:  The cost and inconvenience of moving your stuff to and from home between semesters and over the summer for four -to who knows how many – years will far exceed the cost of storage.

Now you know why storage works for your students. Here are a few tips to help you keep them as safe as their possessions.

Keep Your Students as Safe as Their Possessions

Let’s talk about finding the right storage facility to not only keep the possessions safe, but to keep the students safe. As shocking as this might sound, college students don’t always have the best judgment, and cautious behavior is not always a priority. It’s probably a good idea if you choose the storage facility. You never know when they will decide to drive to the storage unit at 3:00 a.m. because they need that extra lacrosse stick NOW! This is why you need a safe facility.

Look for Layers of Security

• A clean and well-maintained facility
• Well lit property
• Perimeter fencing
• Gates equipped with electronic access
• Twenty-four hour video surveillance
• An indoor unit with keypad access
• On site and/or resident managers
• Use a disc or cylinder lock that is resistant to tampering
• Do Not share access code with friends

Be thoughtful when choosing a storage facility, and don’t worry. There are numerous safe, clean, and secure storage facilities with plenty of amenities. You won’t have trouble finding a good one. 

For more detailed information, read our recent articles on How to Choose a Storage Facility and Keeping Your Stored Valuables Safe and Secure.