How hard is it to find self storage in Italy today?
By TrovaStorage. Last updated: .
Finding self storage in Italy is hard not so much because facilities are missing, but because they are hard to see and hard to compare: the information is spread across many different websites, unit sizes are written in different ways and the terms change from one facility to the next. The way through is to start from the size you need and to ask several facilities the same questions, in writing.
Why the search is slower than it should be
If you have looked for a unit even once, you know the routine: you type «self storage» and the name of your city, open a few websites, find photos of corridors and a contact form. Unit sizes are given in different ways, sometimes in square metres, sometimes in cubic metres, sometimes with a name («small», «medium», «garage»). To find out whether the unit you need is available, and on what terms, you have to write to or call each facility, one at a time.
In many cities the facilities are there, but the people who need them often do not know they exist, or only find them after asking relatives and friends for space.
The three obstacles you meet most often
1. Facilities are scattered and hard to see
Beside the best-known chains there are many independent facilities, often with a basic website or one that rarely shows up in searches. If you only look at the first results of a search engine, you may miss the facility closest to your home.
That is why the page Self storage in Italy gathers the facilities of different operators in one list, city by city, with address, sizes and hours when the operator publishes them.
2. You do not know what size you need
It is the most underrated obstacle. If you do not know how many square metres you need, every quote is a guess, and you risk renting a unit that is too small (and making a second trip) or too large (and paying for empty space). The space calculator starts from what you have to put away, a home, a cellar, an office, and gives you the size to ask for.
3. The terms cannot be compared at a glance
Minimum term, notice period for ending the contract, deposit, insurance included or not, access hours: each facility has its own rules, and you often find them only in the contract. Two similar monthly prices can turn into two very different costs over the length of time you need.
How to make the search simpler
You do not need to become an expert in self storage. A four-step method is enough:
- Start from the size. Use the calculator or read the guide Quanti metri quadri servono, in Italian.
- Look at the facilities near you. On the page Self storage in Italy you find the facilities city by city.
- Ask every facility the same questions. Minimum term, notice period, deposit, whether the price includes VAT and insurance, access hours, what may not be stored.
- Compare the cost over the real length of time, not just the first month.
If you want to understand how the service works before you search, the guide What self storage is and how it works explains it in a few lines.
If you run a facility
The problem has another side too: a facility with free units that does not show up in searches is a facility that loses customers. If you are an operator and want your listing to be complete, with sizes and hours, the page for operators explains how.
Where to start
If you do not know yet what size you need, describe to Stora, the TrovaStorage assistant, what you have to put away: it helps you work out the space and shows you the facilities nearby. From there you can send a request to the facilities you are interested in and receive their terms in writing.