When you’re checking prices for a storage unit, you probably want a cheap rate for good space. Keep these five considerations in mind when you’re on your quest.
1. Starting Price Considerations
You want your starting rate to be low without compromising quality. We aim to offer the best prices in Laurel, MD. If you can find a better price, we’ll beat it by $1.
Some facilities offer low prices because their buildings have deferred maintenance problems: a leaky roof, units that tend to flood during storms, rodent or pest issues, and so forth. Before you move in, inspect the unit you’re moving into and its surrounding areas. Is there evidence of water damage on the roof? How does it smell? If you spot anything fishy, ask the manager and use your best judgment before you move in to your unit.
Now, Laurel Self Storage offers high quality units. Why are our rates so low? The answer is that we are a new business and are running opening specials. Any new business needs customers early in the game to spread the word. A new facility’s first customers are the lucky ones who get the best rates that facility will ever offer, most likely. They’re also the ones who can get $25 credit towards their account for each customer that they refer. So, you will want to move in while you can still lock in a low rate.
2. Extra Charge Considerations
The devil is in the details, as they say. Take note of a facility’s admin fees and insurance charges. Some facilities charge extra high one-time admin fees of $24 or even $30. Sure, there’s work involved with renting a unit to a tenant, so it makes sense to charge something. Still, $24 is a bit much. We charge $15, which we believe is fair.
Most facilities these days require that you have insurance covering what you’re storing. They offer “tenant insurance” programs that fulfill this requirement. These programs are actually quite good and worth the money. If, God forbid, there’s a robbery, fire, damage from pests, or other unpredictable mishap, you need some sort of recourse. Our tenant insurance program’s minimum package is $9 per month for $2,000 of coverage, which is good for what most people store.
3. Freebie Considerations
Check our home page for any specials we may be running. Do you know you’ll be at a facility for over a year? Get another free month by paying 12 months in advance.
4. Rate Increase Considerations
Sometimes storage facilities start you out at a low rate, wait till you have moved in, and then increase your rate dramatically after a couple months. You can easily imagine the horror stories: Sally’s rate was increased by 30%, she wasn’t in a position to move her items out, and she couldn’t afford the new rate. The facility auctioned off her belongings because she couldn’t keep up with the bill. Sally thought she was getting a good deal, but she ended up losing her belongings. It’s like the subprime mortgage crisis all over again.
At Laurel Self Storage we guarantee that you won’t see any rate increases for at least the first 12 months. You can rest easy that what happened to Sally won’t happen to you. We commit to doing the right thing for our tenants. Period.
5. Extra Credit Considerations
Not every facility has a good referral program, so be sure to ask. With a good referral program you can get months and months of free rent over the course of your lease through referrals. Every customer that says you referred him/her to Laurel Self Storage gets you $25 credit. Keep this in mind when you’re talking with your family this Thanksgiving and someone says they need a storage unit!