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Self storage worldwide
There are approximately 58,000 self storage facilities worldwide, of which 52,000 are located in the United States.
According to a report (1st June 2006) by Mintel Consulting and in collaboration with the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom space available for rental in the USA is approximately 1.6 billion rentable square feet, against 22 million rentable square feet in Australia and around 20 million in the United Kingdom. The report also states that there are around 41,000 facilities in the USA, 1,000 in Australia and around 600 in the United Kingdom. In recent years, the self storage market has grown considerably with the UK now the largest and most established in Europe. Market penetration, however, is still somewhat lower than in the US and Australia, and the UK Self Storage Association anticipates the market to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 10%-15% going forward. With social factors (for instance, high divorce rates), and other pressures such as increased workforce mobility and the growth of the home improvement market playing a part, it is easy to see why many more customers might be calling upon the services of storage facilities in the near future. Storage facilities offer a flexible, secure and cost effective solution when the homeowner wishes to create a little extra space in the home. Or perhaps when furniture needs to be stored between house moves or during decorating. Another frequent customer is the student looking to store belongings in between terms. The bigger more reputable storage companies will also tend to offer a whole range of useful items such as packaging, removal boxes and bubble wrap or van hire, to provide an all-round solution to all household, business and student storage needs.
Climate-controlled storage and cold storage
Some facilities are climate controlled to prevent mold or mildew and other moisture problems. Humidity control is more important for storage than temperature control. A common setting for the facility humidistat is a maximum relative humidity of 50%, while a common temperature range for the thermostat is 50 °F (10 °C) to 80 °F (27 °C). A few facilities have even added areas for self storage of goods with special needs, such as wine.
A cold storage facility provides rooms with very low temperature suitable for the storage of perishable items like meat and vegetables. Many of these are left over from the days when most freight was shipped via railroad; with the advent of refrigerated trucking, door-to-door cold transportation became common.
Storage auctions
In the United States, self storage facilities may hold storage auctions or lien sales to vacate non-paying tenants according to their enforcement rights that are outlined within the lien law of each state. These lien auctions are open to the general public, with most bidders buying for the purpose of reselling for profit.
As part of another business
Less formal public storage might be a found in locker rooms, cloak rooms, left luggage areas, bicycle lockers, train stations, amusement parks (especially water parks), and airports. It is of note though that since the September 11, 2001 attacks, storage in these small kiosks is no longer allowed at American airports, per federal law. There may be an attendant or an automated vending machine to collect the fee and control access, or it may simply require dropping a few coins into a slot to allow a key to be removed locking a compartment. At a swimming pool or sauna the key will be attached to a wrist or ankle strap. These types of storage are typically not related to a distinct self-storage business, being rather ancillary services provided as part of another business.
Check out our Storage Features or our Storage Sizes & Pricing.