Your tenancy ends on Friday, but you cannot collect the keys to your next home until the following week. A storage unit can bridge that gap, provided you plan how your belongings will get in, what you will need while they are there, and how they will come out again.
The practical answer is to organise two separate journeys around confirmed access: your old home to storage, then storage to your new home. Keep everyday essentials with you, agree the carrying help for each address and check the facility’s rules before choosing collection times. Lucky Van can assess the transport through its Man & Van service or house removals service, with the vehicle and assistance confirmed for your load.
This guide takes you through the dates, inventory, storage access and return journey, with a checklist you can use when requesting a quote.
Plan two journeys around confirmed access
Write down three dates: when the old property must be empty, when your storage agreement starts and when the new property can actually receive furniture. Give each date a status, such as confirmed or provisional. An expected key handover is a different starting point from keys already in your possession.
For the first journey, allow time to carry everything out, load the vehicle, travel and complete the storage handover before access ends. Ask the facility whether your first visit involves paperwork, payment or an induction. Opening the storage account after the van arrives can put the rest of the day under pressure.
The second journey needs its own booking. A quote for taking goods into storage does not reserve a later collection or hold the same vehicle and crew. If your move-in date remains uncertain, explain that when discussing availability and ask how much notice a new booking requires.
For the checks at your old and new properties, use our London flat-moving checklist. This storage plan adds the extra handover between them.
Separate storage boxes from everyday essentials
Sort belongings into three groups before packing. Otherwise, the suitcase you need tomorrow may end up behind a wrapped wardrobe.
| Group | Typical contents | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Keep with you | Medicines, identification, keys, chargers and clothes for your temporary stay | With you on your separately arranged journey |
| May need during storage | Work equipment, spare clothing or documents you expect to retrieve | Clearly identified boxes in an accessible position |
| Store until move-in | Prepared furniture, books and household items you will not need meanwhile | Positions agreed in your storage layout |
Decide what your temporary accommodation can receive. A friend offering a room may not have space for a desk, six boxes and a bicycle. Keep the storage inventory separate from anything travelling elsewhere, and disclose every additional stop when requesting transport.
Number boxes and record their broad contents privately. Put a useful destination label on the outside, without advertising valuable contents. Keep a copy of the inventory on your phone and another somewhere accessible if your phone is unavailable.
Check the whole route into storage
A storage unit’s floor area tells you little about the route to its door. Ask which entrance the van should use, where unloading is allowed and how far goods must travel from the vehicle. Check gates, height barriers, slopes and any loading appointment.
Inside, confirm the unit’s floor, doorway opening, corridor turns and any lift’s usable dimensions. A long sofa may fit inside the room but fail to turn into the corridor. Give the transport team photographs and measurements of restrictive points, rather than describing access as easy.
Separate the facility’s security arrangements from its usable access hours. For example, Safestore’s FAQs describe access during store opening hours, with extended access available at selected stores. Confirm the arrangements for your particular location and moving date; do not infer round-the-clock access from round-the-clock CCTV.
Ask what identification, account-holder presence or authorisation is required. Check who will unlock the unit and receive the load. An unattended delivery arrangement must be explicitly accepted by the facility and carrier. A staffed reception does not by itself establish permission to leave your entire move there.
Agree who carries items into the unit
Describe the handover you need: unloading beside the van, carrying to a loading area or placing goods inside your unit. Those are different amounts of work. Include the number of people needed, the heaviest pieces, stairs and the distance involved.
Ask the facility what equipment is available and whether it can be reserved or used for your items. A trolley being present does not confirm that a large cabinet fits on it, that a lift is available or that staff will carry furniture. Agree the complete arrangement with the transport team before booking.
If friends or family are helping, give them a definite arrival time and a clear role. Tell Lucky Van about that arrangement so the quote reflects the assistance actually available. Packing, dismantling and reassembly also need separate confirmation; they should not become unexpected tasks at collection.
Keep corridors, entrances and emergency routes clear while unloading. If the actual access differs from the agreed description, contact the responsible people before changing the handling plan.
Pack for storage and the return journey
Prepare furniture for both transport and its time in the unit. Empty drawers and cupboards, secure removable parts and keep fittings in labelled bags linked to the correct piece. Follow the item’s care instructions when choosing protective materials, especially for delicate surfaces.
Make sure belongings are clean and dry before packing. Ask the storage provider about permitted goods and conditions appropriate to your possessions. Declare unusual contents instead of treating every household item as suitable for ordinary storage or transport. Appliances need their own preparation, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Use sound, manageable boxes and avoid crushing lighter contents beneath heavier ones. Tell the team which items cannot be stacked or laid flat. Our moving-day packing guide covers preparation and labels in more detail.
Sketch a simple unit layout before the load arrives. Put items you may need to retrieve where they can be reached without shifting heavy furniture. Leave access space where appropriate and ask the facility to help assess the room size from your actual inventory. The smallest room by floor area may be impractical for non-stackable pieces.
Budget for both moves and storage separately
Compare the complete plan: two transport bookings, the storage agreement and any agreed preparation or carrying assistance. Ask each provider what its price covers and what could change it. Waiting, additional stops, extra items or different access may alter the transport scope.
Check the storage contract’s minimum period, billing arrangements, notice requirements and conditions for ending the agreement. Establish the position on protection for goods while stored and ask separately about the accepted transport arrangement. Keep the documents together, but do not assume that protection at one stage automatically covers every stage.
If the new-home date moves, review both bookings and the storage end date promptly. Extending storage does not automatically rearrange the van, and rebooking transport does not automatically give notice to the facility.
Prepare the collection from storage in advance
Before booking the return journey, check the new property’s keys, loading access and receiving person. Confirm that the furniture route is usable and any lift or loading bay is reserved. Do not book around a move-in time that nobody can authorise.
Update the inventory if you have added, removed or repacked anything. Goods bought during the gap may change the vehicle and carrying requirements. Give the team the complete current load, not just a reference to the outward booking.
Arrange unit access for the collection window, identify who will release the goods and check the storage provider’s checkout procedure. At the new home, count packages against your list and keep a useful record of any issue. Finish any remaining storage checkout steps with the provider.
Send a clear storage-move booking brief
When requesting a man and van to storage, include:
- The old-home and storage addresses, plus the new-home address if known.
- Your leaving deadline, storage access window and confirmed or provisional move-in date.
- An inventory with packed dimensions, reliable weights for heavy items and photographs of awkward pieces.
- Floors, stairs, lift measurements and carrying distances at every address.
- The storage entrance, unit location, loading arrangements and named access contact.
- The carrying, packing or dismantling help you want assessed.
- Any extra stops and the separate goods for each destination.
Request a delivery quote with those details and explain that you are moving between homes via storage. Ask Lucky Van to confirm the first journey’s vehicle, help and price, then arrange the collection from storage once the receiving date and access are established.
