If you must leave your old home before you can get into the new one, short-term storage fills the gap. Your belongings go into a secure unit for days or weeks, then out to the new address when the keys exist. It works well. It also means two moves instead of one.

That second point is the one most people find out late, so it is worth saying first.

We arrange storage for exactly this gap. Here is how it works, and what to ask before you agree to it.

Why do the dates not line up?

Because two different chains set them, and neither of them asks you.

GOV.UK's buying guide says completion is usually around 2 to 4 weeks after exchange, though the two can happen on the same day (GOV.UK, How to buy a home). That is for one transaction. If you are selling as well, your sale has its own chain and its own date, and the government's own figure for selling is about 5 months on average, longer if you are part of a chain (GOV.UK, Selling a home). Lining the two up to the same day is common. It is not guaranteed.

The usual shapes of the gap:

The buyer of your house wants a date your seller cannot match. You either lose the buyer or move out early.
A new build is not finished. The developer moves the date and you have already agreed yours.
You are renting in between. The rental is furnished, or small, and the furniture does not fit.
The completion slips on the day. The van is loaded and the keys are not coming. That one has its own post: what happens when a completion slips.

Is storage cheaper than renting somewhere bigger?

For a gap of a few weeks, usually. For a gap of several months, do the sums.

Storage is priced by how much you store and for how long. Add the two moves on top — out of the old house into storage, then out of storage into the new one — and compare that with a short let big enough to take the furniture. A short let still means two moves, so the honest comparison is the rent against the storage fee, not the moves.

Our answer: fees depend on volume and duration, and you get a clear quote before anything moves.

How does the storage itself work?

Ours is containerised. Your belongings go into a sealed container rather than onto open shelving in a shared room.

Our main partner is Rockfarm Storage in Wheatley Hill. Depending on where you are based we may use another facility, and we will tell you which one before anything moves. Every facility we use is vetted for security and insurance first.

What we do:

The move in — we load at your house and deliver into storage.
The move out — we collect from storage and deliver into the new home, placed in the right rooms.
The arrangement — we set it up with the facility, so you are not ringing round on the week you exchange.

Whose insurance covers my things while they are stored?

Not ours, and this is the part to read twice.

The storage contract is directly between you and the facility, and while your belongings are stored they are covered by the facility's insurance rather than ours. We handle the arrangement and the transport at both ends. While your things are on our van, our £20,000 goods in transit cover applies per claim; once they are in the unit, it is the facility's policy that matters.

So, before you sign:

Ask the facility what the cover level is if anything you are storing is high in value.
Ask your own home insurer whether your contents policy says anything about goods in storage. Some do; you will not know until you ask.
Keep the irreplaceable things with you. Cash, jewellery, passports, deeds and anything sentimental should not go into storage at all.

Can I get to my things while they are in storage?

Sometimes. It depends on the arrangement.

Some are set up for you to come and go with notice. Others are sealed until the move out. Because the units are containerised, access needs booking in advance rather than turning up and hoping. If you will need something in the middle — the winter coats, the paperwork for the mortgage — tell us before we book anything, so you end up with the right kind.

The simpler fix is to pack for the gap. Anything you will need in the next few weeks goes with you, not in the container.

What cannot go into storage?

The same list as the van: fuels, gas cylinders, corrosive chemicals, fireworks, and perishable or frozen food. A freezer going into storage needs to be defrosted, emptied and dried before it goes in. The full list, and what to do with each item instead, is in what a removal van cannot carry.

What it costs you that a single move does not

This is the honest downside. Storage is two moves, two loading days and a storage fee where a straight move is one. Nobody should pretend otherwise.

There is one exception. Where your move goes into storage because the chain collapsed, you do not lose your deposit, and the second move out of storage is charged at a discounted rate — typically around half the original. That discount is for a move that fell through, not for a gap you planned.

When should I book it?

As soon as you know the dates will not meet. We can arrange storage at short notice — same day if a completion falls through — but short notice means fewer choices, and the choices are what make it cheaper.

When you ask, tell us:

Both dates, even if one is only an estimate
What is going into storage, and what is coming with you
Whether you need access while it is stored
Anything high in value, so the cover question is answered early

More on how the storage itself works is on our storage page.

When you know your dates, get a quote for the move and the storage.