What container storage actually is
Storage comes in two shapes in the UK, and they work very differently.
A self storage unit is a room in a building. You drive to a depot, unload your own belongings, and come back whenever you want them, within opening hours.
Container storage reverses that. A wooden container is delivered to your address, a crew loads it there, the container is sealed and taken to a warehouse, and it comes back to whichever address you nominate when you want it. You never visit a depot, and you never hire a van.
The second model suits London for an obvious reason. Most people here do not have a car large enough to move a flat, and the time cost of hiring one, driving to an industrial estate and carrying everything in yourself is considerable.
How big a container is, and what fits
Ours measure 155 cm wide, 215 cm deep and 245 cm tall, which is roughly 35 square feet of floor space and 280 cubic feet of volume.
As a rough guide:
- One container takes a large bedroom or a studio flat clearance
- Two suit a typical one bedroom flat
- Three cover a two bedroom property
- Five or six absorb a full four bedroom house or a large lateral flat
You book the number you need rather than renting a fixed room size, so the cost scales with what you actually store rather than with a room you have half filled.
If you are unsure, the storage calculator on our website maps a room count and furniture list to a container quantity. A survey is more accurate still.
Your container is yours alone
This is the part people ask about most, and the answer is simple. Each container is allocated to one customer. It is sealed after loading, and nobody else has access to the contents.
The warehouse itself is monitored, alarmed and access controlled, and containers are stacked inside the building rather than standing in a yard. That matters for condition as much as security, since anything stored outdoors is subject to temperature swings and damp.
How access works
The trade off for the convenience is that you cannot wander in on a Sunday afternoon.
Containers are stacked, sometimes several high, so reaching yours takes planning. Give a few working days of notice for access or for a return delivery. The same applies if you want part of your belongings back rather than all of it.
Two practical consequences:
- Pack with retrieval in mind. Anything you might want during the storage period should be loaded last, so it is at the front.
- Keep an inventory and note which container holds what. Our guide to making a removal inventory covers how, and it matters more when belongings are split across containers and a house.
What you cannot store
The exclusions are consistent across the industry, and they exist for safety and legal reasons.
Nothing perishable, which includes food and plants. Nothing flammable, meaning paint, aerosols, gas canisters, petrol, fireworks and similar. Nothing illegal. Nothing alive.
Beyond that, think about what suffers in storage regardless of the rules. Anything damp will develop mould, so soft furnishings, rugs and mattresses need to be clean and completely dry before they go in. Wool attracts moths, so clean it first. Documents and photographs prefer stable conditions to a loft, which is one reason people store them rather than leaving them at home.
Insurance
Contents are insured to £2,000 per container as standard, and additional cover is available for higher value items.
Two things worth doing before anything is loaded. Photograph what goes in, which takes ten minutes and is the evidence behind any claim. And declare high value items in advance rather than assuming, since policies carry per item limits and undeclared valuables are commonly excluded.
Cost and commitment
Container storage is priced per container per week, so the bill reflects the number of containers and the length of time. There is no minimum square footage to pay for and no charge for accessing your own belongings within the notice period.
Ours runs month to month with no fixed term. Cancel with five working days of notice and billing stops. That flexibility is the point, because the two most common reasons people need storage, a gap between dates and a renovation running late, are both situations where nobody knows the end date at the start.
Full details and current prices are on the storage pages, or Islington storage if you are local to N1.
When it is the right answer
Four situations where container storage does more than provide space.
A gap between moving out and moving in. The commonest reason, and the one it was designed for.
Downsizing. When some furniture has no home in the new place and you would rather not decide under pressure. Our guide to moving after a life change covers that in more detail.
Renovation. Empty the rooms, let the builders work, bring things back in stages. See what to do with your belongings during building work.
Business overflow. Archive files, seasonal stock, display equipment and furniture left over from a reorganisation, held somewhere cheaper than office floor space.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a storage container? Ours are 155 cm wide, 215 cm deep and 245 cm tall, around 35 square feet of floor space and 280 cubic feet. One holds a large bedroom or studio flat, two a one bedroom flat, three a two bedroom property.
Can anyone else access my storage container? No. Each container is allocated to one customer and sealed after loading. The warehouse is monitored and access controlled, and containers are stored inside the building.
How quickly can I get my belongings back? Allow a few working days. Containers are stacked in a warehouse rather than standing in a corridor, so both access and return deliveries need scheduling.
What can I not put into storage? Nothing perishable, flammable, illegal or alive. Food, plants, paint, aerosols, gas canisters and fuel are all excluded, and anything damp will develop mould whatever the rules say.
Is my property insured while in storage? Contents are covered to £2,000 per container as standard, with additional cover available. Declare high value items in advance, since policies carry per item limits.
How is container storage different from a self storage unit? A self storage unit is a room you drive to and fill yourself. A container is delivered to your address, loaded by our crew, stored at our facility and returned wherever you choose, so there is no depot trip and no van hire.
Talk to us
RMV Storage & Removals has stored and moved belongings across London for over fifteen years, with container storage, house and office removals, packing services and materials and man and van work, across every area we cover including Islington and the surrounding boroughs.
For the local practicalities of moving in N1, see our guide to removals in Islington. Otherwise tell us roughly what you need to store and for how long, and get in touch.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published October 2016. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.