Storage in Finchley
Containerised storage — wrapped, inventoried and racked indoors, collected as part of the move.
Storage here is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is north-London arithmetic: long chains, a lot of onward purchases, and period housing that frequently wants work before anyone can properly live in it.
How it works
The crew that packs the house loads the containers. Everything is wrapped as if for transit, listed on an inventory you keep a copy of, and sealed in. Containers are racked indoors rather than left in a yard, and when you are ready the same inventory comes back out and is delivered room by room.
- One handling at each end rather than a shuffle between units
- A written inventory, with valuable pieces listed individually
- Furniture wrapped before it goes in, not after it has been scuffed
- Collection and redelivery quoted as part of the move
Containerised, not self-store
Worth being clear about. A self-store unit is a room you rent and fill yourself, with the lifting, the van hire and two handlings on you. This is a service: we pack it, list it, store it and bring it back. You give up walk-in access and get one handling and an inventory.
When it is used
Between completions
The commonest reason. Goods go straight from the load onto the racking without a second lift.
During building work
Rewiring, re-plastering or lifting a floor in a newly bought Victorian house. Two or three rooms in store costs less than repairing what the dust would have done.
Downsizing
Moving out of a large villa into a flat rarely works in one step. Storing what you have not decided about buys time without filling the new hallway.
Before a move abroad
A European move rarely lines up with a sale — see European removals. The same inventory later becomes the customs packing list.
What we need to know
Roughly what is going in, whether you will need access, and when you expect to want it back. It is quoted alongside the move rather than after it.
Storage questions
What is containerised storage?
Goods are wrapped as if for transit, listed on an inventory, and sealed into timber containers racked indoors. Nothing is tipped into a communal space and it is handled once at each end — unlike a self-store unit, which you fill and empty yourself.
Why does it come up so often here?
Long chains and a lot of period property that wants work on purchase. Between them they produce a gap more often than not.
Can I get at things while stored?
With notice, during working hours — a container is brought down and opened. Plan for a day or so's warning rather than turning up.
Can you store during building work?
Commonly. Rewiring or re-plastering a Victorian house is dusty, slow work, and two or three rooms in store costs less than repairing what the dust would have done.
Is stored property covered?
Yes, with the usual conditions around owner-packed cartons and items of unusual value. Declare anything genuinely valuable before it goes in.
Need somewhere for it to go?
Tell us roughly what needs storing and when you might want it back. Collection and redelivery are quoted as part of the move.