Arrange short-term storage if there's a gap between homes

A storage gap is the same problem as a temporary-accommodation gap, just for your belongings instead of you — your old settlement date, your new one, and your mover's actual delivery day don't always land on the same day.

How to do it

1. Ask your removalist first — many long-distance movers offer short-term storage as part of the same booking, which is usually simpler and cheaper than arranging it separately.
2. Compare a dedicated storage company if you need longer than a few weeks — self-storage facilities are usually better value than a mover's short-term option once you're past a couple of weeks.
3. Check unit size against what you're actually storing — most facilities have a size guide, and it's easy to underestimate how much a house's worth of boxes and furniture actually takes up.
4. Ask about access hours — some facilities are 24/7, others have set hours, which matters if your schedule is tight around the move itself.

Common mistakes

• Assuming your mover automatically includes storage — confirm this explicitly when getting quotes, don't assume
• Booking a unit sized for what you think you have rather than what you've actually measured
• Leaving it until the exact week of the move, when short-term availability is tightest

Related tasks

If you're also arranging temporary accommodation for yourself, sort both at the same time — they're usually driven by the exact same date mismatch.