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5 Pricing Considerations When Choosing a Storage Facility

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.

A Beautiful Fall Day at Laurel Self Storage
A Beautiful Fall Day at Laurel Self Storage

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!

4 Ways Plastic Wrap Makes Your Move Safer

5" Plastic stretch wrap is helpful when you're moving into a storage unit
5″ Mover’s Wrap

When you’re moving into a storage unit, plastic stretch wrap can be extremely helpful. In this post we will show what the wrap is, why it is helpful, and what you can use it on.

What Is Plastic Stretch Wrap?

Our plastic stretch wrap, called Mover’s Wrap, comes in two varieties at Laurel Self Storage: 5″ wide and 20″ wide. Both are 80 gauge thickness. Mover’s Wrap contains no glue or adhesives, and it sticks to nothing but itself. It’s a little bit like the plastic wrap you’d find in your kitchen, except it’s designed to be wrapped around larger items and furniture. That is, it is tougher and more tear-resistant. That means that after you’ve finished moving into your storage unit, it won’t peel the finish off of your furniture and do damage to it in the process. Once you wrap it tightly around an item, it starts to conform to the shape of the item.

Plastic stretch wrap can be helpful in many ways, but for the sake of this post we’ll focus on 4 ways it makes your move safer.

20" Plastic stretch wrap is helpful when you're moving into a storage unit
20″ Mover’s Wrap

Benefit: 4 Ways Plastic Wrap Makes Your Move Safer

First, you can use plastic stretch wrap to protect anything against scratches, nicks, and rain/snow during your move. Second, after you’ve moved into your storage unit, it can prevent dust and allergens from collecting on your valuables. In this way, it can protect tables, chairs, dressers, cabinets, computers, toys, trash cans, and virtually anything else you might move into your unit. If you want extra protection, you can wrap a moving blanket around your furniture and then put the plastic wrap around it.

CAREFUL: If you’re moving in when it’s raining/snowing, protect your furniture against water. Storage units–particularly ones that aren’t climate-controlled–don’t see much circulation. That moisture can easily turn into mold, which can start in one spot and get all over your other items. That makes everyone sad.

Third, another way plastic wrap makes your move safer is by keeping drawers from flying out of your dresser. Anyone who has moved a dresser knows that the drawers like to fly out as soon as the dresser is tipped the wrong way. That can scratch or break your dresser and crush your toes. Wrapping the dresser keeps the drawers where they are.

Fourth, wrapping your furniture, in some cases, can also give it some traction. Your dresser might be slick, but with some plastic wrap around it, it might be easier to carry.

Bonus tip: Plastic wrap can be good for bundling. Let’s say you have kids and, therefore, lots of toys. These toys could go into a box, or you could bundle and wrap them together with the 20″ stretch wrap. This approach can be helpful if you’re low on boxes or if you want to make use of those nooks and crannies in your truck or storage unit.

So, when you’re moving into your unit at Laurel Self Storage in Laurel, MD, pick up some Mover’s Wrap. You’ll be glad you did.

4 boxes and what they’re good for

We sell U-Haul boxes

When you’re moving into a storage unit,  you most likely need boxes. We sell four types:

  1. Small Moving Box: 16-3/8″ x 12-5/8″ x 12-5/8″ (W x L x H). Ideal for smaller, dense and heavy items such as books, tools, sheet sets, and small appliances. Has handles for easy lifting. $1.49.
  2. Medium Moving Box: 18″ x 18″ x 16″. Ideal for your smaller household items, toys, and appliances. Has handles for easy lifting. $2.49.
  3. Large Moving Box: 18″ x 18″ x 24″. Ideal for large, lightweight items such as lampshades, stereo speakers, board games, stuffed animals, pillows and clothing. $2.99.
  4. Extra Large Moving Box: 24″ x 18″ x 24″. Ideal for very large lightweight, bulky items such as comforters, large pillows, towels and seasonal bulky clothing. $3.49.

These are robust U-Haul boxes that have served many movers well. Visit our Laurel Self Storage office at 9735 Washington Blvd. N, Laurel, MD 20723 to pick some up!

Laurel Self Storage: October Coupons & Specials

Laurel Self Storage

Laurel Self Storage is a new storage facility near Rt. 1 and Whiskey Bottom Road. Check out our exciting October coupons and specials!

Click for printable version
Click for printable version
  • Bring in the above coupon for a free month and lock on your first storage unit when you move-in
  • 10% military discount and 5% senior discount (max 10% discount per customer)
  • Pay 12 months of storage rent ahead of time and get a 13th month free as a bonus
  • Price match Guarantee: We’ll match any competitor within a 3 mile drive for at least 3 months

Note: Coupons apply to units up to 10’x30’. Further restrictions may apply.

 

The beginnings of a sign

Laurel Self Storage sign

Our freestanding Laurel Self Storage sign is in production! This sign will make it easier for you to find our storage facility as you drive up and down Route 1 in Laurel.

Here you can see Dale Burnett (Burnett Development) and Mario pouring the concrete base for it. Big thanks go to them for making this happen. Next step: Jack Shin with the Beltway Sign Team will erect the Laurel Self Storage sign they designed and produced.