Renting a home out for the first time can be exciting if you’re newly fledged from your parent’s home. Or perhaps you’re renting to try out a new area before buying, or as a short-term arrangement to care for a loved one.
Whatever your reason for renting for the first time, it is important to store your things correctly for multiple reasons. Primarily, it is to make the most of the space that you are renting, ensuring every square foot is utilized. Additionally, by storing items right you can make sure that the rental space is as protected and taken care of as possible, protecting your deposit and ensuring that you keep the landlords happy.
To help you keep your things stored well in your new rental accommodation, checkout these handy storage tips:
Always Protect The Flooring
Carpets and other flooring are expensive to replace and could lead to losing your deposit. To protect it from marking and stains, try to use waterproof containers wherever possible. Plastic tubs, plastic shelving, and lined baskets are all really handy ways to store items, keep them off the floor and that protect the floor if anything leaks.
Utilize Non-Installed Storage
With it being a rental, you may well not be able to put up additional shelves and other items that you would be able to in an owned home. Instead, you’ll need to utilize storage that is free-standing and that is able to be hung. If you can, get baskets and tubs that can be stacked so that you’re not always using up floor space. This will help preserve the rental space that is usable, whilst also tending to your cheap storage in London needs.
Have Some Foldable Storage At Hand
Lots of baskets and tubs are foldable, which is really handy if you have London storage needs sometimes, but not all the time. A good example is with dirty or clean washing, with craft supplies that get used up, or with groceries.
Get Well-Acquainted With Useful Gaps
Within any home, there are many useful gaps that can be filled with all kinds of objects that need storage. Spaces under beds, on top of bathroom cabinets, on top of wardrobes, at the side of the loo – they’re all potential spots for storage. Practice folding and packing items in a way that is more aesthetically pleasing – such as rolling blankets rather than folding them. If you do want to hide them, look for clever storage that fits in small spaces, or utilize throws and pretty sheets to cover over items you don’t want to be visible.
Zone
Open plan spaces are great, but they can be a little cold and unwelcoming. What you can do to break up the space and add more storage, is to add a freestanding shelf or something similar as a ‘wall’. This splits up the space visually, gives you more storage and helps you make the most of the rental overall. It’s especially helpful if you work from home and want a part of the living room to work in without feeling as though you are simply working from the space you also relax in.
Declutter Everything
Decluttering everything in your affordable self-storage unit, shed, home, and more will give you some extra cash (if you sell the items you declutter) and give you lots less to store in your new rental. It is worth doing this well in advance so that you have plenty of time to get everything listed and sold in time for your moving day.
Utilize Affordable Self Storage
It is a good idea to declutter when you are moving house, but sometimes there are items you simply don’t want to let go of. The good news is that by using an affordable self-storage unit you can keep your things safe and stored, without using up precious space in your rental. The units are as small as a gym locker and as big as a football field, plus they usually have very flexible and affordable contracts too. It could be worth considering if your rental is not spacious enough to house items like seasonal decorations, camping gear and bulky hobby items without taking away from the usable space.
Reconsider Your Main Furniture
Perhaps you have all your things organized and stored well, but you’re still tight for space. It might be that you simply live in a compact rental, but it could also mean that you haven’t reconsidered your furniture. Lots of furniture that may have seemed small enough or shaped well enough for the home, could, in fact, take up too much space. It could also be more aesthetic than function in its design, causing you to lose out on vital space for living, and for storing. Try to reconsider your main furniture in terms of its ability to store your things well, and to make the most of the space. It could be a simple change of furniture that helps you unlock more living and storage space in your new rental.
Declutter Items Meant For Storage
A common trap that we can fall into when we are trying to do better with storage, is to keep buying storage baskets and tubs, rather than actively decreasing what we own. It’s so easy to fill up available storage space, especially when it disguises all kinds of ugly belongings like wires or old tech. Do review what you have for storage regularly, as you could find that your rental may need fewer storage units once you have decluttered and reorganized everything – freeing up space and giving you higher quality storage overall.
You’re Ready To Be Organised & Functional In Your New Rental!
The tips above can help you to make the most of the space in your rental, for a functional and aesthetically pleasing living space that also keeps the landlords happy too.
If you do find yourself needing extra space, consider affordable self-storage to help give you a little extra secure space for your things. By doing this, you can keep hold of your treasured belongings without having to compromise on the available space in the rental place you’re paying for.
