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How to pack your valuables when moving house

They do say that moving house is probably one of the stressful tasks you will ever undertake. Well maybe, but the rewards are far too great to cower away from finding that dream home – so with that in mind, here at Need A Space, we are going to play our part in making the practical task of moving your valuables out, just a little bit easier. If you need storage in Kent do not hesitate to contact us.

Here are our top tips for making that house move extra smooth:

Content insurance

You precious valuables are going to be most vulnerable on the road and believe it or not you can still get insurance cover for them at this time. So check with your insurance provider. – if they don’t do it – change!

Start early

Packing up is likely to take longer than you think so start as soon as you know when the moving date will be. You are likely to be living amongst cardboard boxes for a while.

Begin with a priority list

A list of all the things you are going to take is invaluable. You can prioritise what is most important, which boxes to place each commodity in and where it will go in the van. Also at this stage you can decide what needs to go and what doesn’t. It’s unlikely you will be taking everything and you can determine whether you will give to your favourite charity, contribute to the next boot fair or hit ebay.

Boxing up

Now you have a clear idea of what needs to go with you, you can decide how each item will be transported. The smaller items and appliances will be going in boxes so work out how many boxes you will need approximately. Be sure not to overfill boxes as you could (1) do yourself a nasty mischief when trying to pick it up and (2) a cardboard box may not be able to take too much weight and the bottom may break open.

Try to keep each box to a certain category so it will be easy to find when you are unpacking. For instance, you could have a box for a specific room or a type of item such as kitchen cutlery. Use padding in all the boxes (with newspapers, or bubble wrap) even when the items are not breakable and don’t forget to label each box. Take a look at the accessories we have at Need A Space to make your packing a lot easier

Easy access stuff

You need to make sure you pack the van so that the most important items (i.e. stuff you may need as soon as you get in such as heater, kettle, nightwear etc.) go in last so they are easily accessible.

Clear labelling

A very important point is to make labelling clear and place in the order you hope to retrieve the items when you get to your new home. Also label boxes as to whether they are likely to have breakables.

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here

Top tips for packing a removals van

We pride ourselves on being able to provide everything you are going to need to store your precious valuables and business assets here at Need A Space in Canterbury. As well as offering competitive prices for secure storage space, we offer help with packing materials, supportive staff, a fork lift tuck, mail boxes and of course a removals van.

But moving your valuables – especially when moving home – can be an awe-inspiring task. There is a skill to loading up a removals van so that you use your space and time efficiently and do not risk breaks, loss and damages. With that in mind here are our top tips for getting your removals to storage safe and sound:

Don’t try and do all of the lifting and loading onto the van yourself. If you are going to be dealing with heavyweight commodities make sure you have assistance from individuals who are able to deal with the weights involved over a long period of time. Don’t forget you will be moving out, loading, unloading and storing. This can be a long and tiring process and needs to be done in one hit where possible or you could have to pay more in van hire. Consider having individuals on the van for loading and others for shifting stuff out to the van.
In order to maximize your space, fill the front of the van first and work back.
Keep white goods such as fridges, dishwashers and ovens etc upright (make sure the fridge was de-frosted at least two days before). Spread the weight of the heavier items throughout the van.
To use ceiling space you are going to need to stack items. Always place the heaviest items on the bottom. Make sure each item is secure with a straps, tapes or cords.
Use softer items to protect more vulnerable items. For instance, you can use sofa cushions to protect mirrors. Other useful domestic items which can be used for packing if you are moving house are mattresses, blankets, and pillows.
Where items have drawers (i.e. chest of drawers), push them up against the side of the van and turn inwards to the van wall. This way the drawers cannot open. Save space again by filling the drawers with smaller items.
Label all your boxes and stack them so the heaviest boxes are at the bottom. Ensure all boxes are wedged or strapped in tightly.

Hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to ask our supportive staff for guidance!

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here

Top tips from Need A Space to keep your valuables safe and self-storage costs low

We are all going to need that extra bit of space sometime. Whether it is for business reasons, storing student valuables or for that big house move, self-storage can be essential for logistics whatever the reason. There are many different companies out there and they all offer varied benefits and fees. So if you are new to self-storage here is a list of the top tips to make sure that you are getting all you need at an acceptable price.

First of all you need a provider who is going to be relatively near at hand. You want to cut the time and effort of moving your valuables to an absolute minimum. It is a good idea to find out what catchment area a self-storage company serves. For instance Need A Space is based in Canterbury but it also serves Faversham, Herne Bay, and even London businesses.

Look out for special offers. Because there is so much competition out there it is likely a self-storage company will offer a special offer for the first few months that you are with them – or if you switch storage location (see our 30% offer)

Ensure you are only storing what needs to be stored. Suddenly having a lot of room to store all that stuff that has been getting under your feet can lead to you not choosing carefully what needs to be stored and what needs to be recycled. The bigger the storage facility the higher the fee – so choose well and you can use it again and again in the future.

Pay on time. Some storage facilities will affect interest rates on late payments. Consider paying by direct debit if the valuables are going to be in storage for some length of time.

Ensure that your valuables are insured. You may be able to adapt your household insurance or business insurance to cover this. The self-storage provider may also have insurance deals which can be quite useful but always get estimates.

What kind of support will you receive? Don’t forget as well as getting your valuables to the place of storage you also need to pack them, and move them form the vehicle to the storage unit. At Need A Space we offer have friendly staff for support and advice. We also offer use of a removals van, a forklift truck and various packaging extras.

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here

Cheap London storage in Kent

London may well arguably be the commercial capital of the world but when it comes to practicing business within London – costs can quickly go through the roof. That is why Needaspace offer a much cheaper option for self-storage while at the same time offering premium security, quality and accessibility.

Cheaper self-storage in Kent

Situated in the heart of Kent (located on the outskirts of Faversham and Canterbury) Needaspace self-storage facilities are within easy reach of the London catchment area which means we can cut storage costs enormously, saving managers huge amounts on their annual budget. Just take a look at some of our facilities:

Over 40,000 feet of self-storage space for start-ups and SME’s, to corporate business and global enterprise
Free moving van. We can supply a Luton tail lift van for a whole day to help with large removals and awkward bulky goods.
Secure mailbox to filter business communications or create an anonymous business mailing address.
Clean dry self-storage units for all your business archives.
Flexible working hours means you can access your stored items whenever you wish.
Forklift truck services
Parking bays and convenient loading bays
Friendly staff available for support and advice.
Unbeatable security which includes, CCTV, high security infrared beams, state of the art alarm systems and perimeter fencing.

Quality archive storage and cheaper rates

Extra storage is needed only too often in modern business. Documents need to be archived and if this takes place on the main business property it can take up a great deal of useful (and high rental!) property space.

Easy access, flexible opening hours

Businesses which have a seasonal element or use valuable equipment documents and tools for a minimal part of the year will need somewhere to house that paraphernalia somewhere which is secure, and accessible.

Currently we have many business clients who are based in London and have decided to use our storage facilities here in Kent to cut down on overheads such as storage. With all the facilities such as free van hire, forklift truck services and flexible opening hours, our clients know their items will be easy to store and accessible in business hours.

30% discount

For those businesses who already have storage – we offer a 30% off deal.

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage click here

Top tips for starting your online store

In the digital 21st century the internet is essential for businesses to market themselves, create lead generation, network and promote goods and services. An online shop offers so many benefits that a physical shopfront cannot. Your overheads, due to the fact that there are no physical costs for property rental etc., are immediately reduced. But it would be a mistake to completely put your need for physical space in your ecommerce venture to one side. Logistics are going to be an important part of your approach as you will see below.

Identify your audience. The internet can more or less reach everyone on our little planet so you need to streamline and optimise the content so your target market can find you. When they do reach your online shop the content needs to motivate to buy. So get a good idea as to what your classic buyer’s preferences would be and what would trigger their interests.
If you are building an ecommerce site yourself use only the big reputable brands such as ekmpowershop. You can also approach a good web designer or developer who will put your ideas into action at a slightly higher cost.
Taking tip 1 a step further, you can use software applications to generate shopping selections based on what your visitors have bought before. Not only will this entice them back to buy again but they will also be likely to become more loyal to your brand alone. The knock on from this is they are also more likely to recommend it to their friends.
You need to make your online shop mobile responsive. Firstly, a huge section of ecommerce buyers are now buying directly from their mobiles and secondly Google prioritises sites which have actually made their sites mobile responsive. If you don’t take heed of this second point you may not get anywhere near page one of the search engines.
Logistics are very important and often forgotten. Unfortunately not everything is going to happen through the power of the internet. Any product that has been bought needs to be sent out to buyer. Have a clear process in mind as to how this will take place. Also bear in mind that even though you do not need a shop front you are definitely going to need a place to store your items. How will this be stored? If you do not have space at home consider cheap self-storage options
Payment flow can seem a bit of a nightmare at first but it is the most important function in your online shop. The information at the following website can give a clearer idea as to how payment gateways work click here
Start small and then get big. To make sure the processes you have developed are going to work sufficiently well consider putting shops on the bigger sites first (i.e. amazon and ebay). This will give you a much better idea as to what the whole process will involve and allow you to streamline your ideas for logistics.

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and London area click here

How businesses in Kent can save money and streamline logistics with local self-storage

Many people just relate the need for self-storage with moving home, managing household overflow items and removals. But businesses can also benefit from the facilities offered by a secure self -storage service.

As a Canterbury based family run business ourselves, we have learnt from real experience over the many years since our establishment – especially how different industries may utilise extra storage space. Self-storage can streamline budgets, enhance the working environment, simplify logistics and create both time and space to the local business manager.

As a business, asset management is essential and there is not always the space available within your own property to store valuable assets and documents. Below is a list of how our loyal clients are currently using our storage space here in Canterbury Kent:

Businesses moving Premises

Just like the residential world there may be an issue with moving premises and assets may need to be stored until the business property is ready. In other cases, businesses may be moving into a smaller environment and so need extra external space. We have also had clients who need to move their company assets out of the property for a temporary period due to redecoration or renovation.

Seasonal Stock

Seasonal stock can be a logistical nightmare. As stock can be used in the new season, it can be stored with Need A Space until the next season cycle.

Overflow of stock

Sometimes a business manager can only rely on a crystal ball to determine how much stock is going to be needed and there are times when there may be an overflow. But most of all, we want to be there when your business thrives, when you need that extra space to make way for that extra stock.

Events managers

There is a great deal of logistics involved in event management. Storage space to keep materials between events can be an absolute match winner.

Sales Representatives

Sales reps often need to travel over wide geographical areas and carry large supplies of equipment to show to prospective clients. Need A Space offers the storage space to allow reps to keep work materials in one central place

South London businesses

Being located in Kent and just outside the capital city we have found our self- storage facility is especially useful for south London businesses looking to store assets at lower costs than they would find in London. Many organisations based in South London in areas such as Bexley, Bromley, and Sidcup use our services because our rates are so much cheaper than London rates.

Internet companies

Ecommerce sites continue to be on the rise and we can offer the storage space to cater for online stock. We offer storage units for all online stores and shops such as eBay and Amazon. Many thriving online businesses start at home and use the garage as a storage facility but soon find an external cheap self-storage solution is necessary.

To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and London area click here

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Contact Details

Tel: 01227 751673 Mobile: 07841 260 500 Adrress: 1-5, Thunderhill Business Park, Hickmans Green, Boughton-under-Blean, Faversham ME13 9NT

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