Self Storage Insurance

Insuring items placed into a self storage unit is a sensible step that will provide protection for your valuable possessions, along with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re covered by insurance, whatever may happen. At Big Yellow, we take every care and precaution to safeguard your items, but there are some things that are beyond even our careful control, and insurance for your storage room or locker can give absolute peace of mind.

We’re often asked if it’s necessary to have self storage insurance, but when you take into account all the potential risks, exactly why it’s important and how it helps becomes clearer

At Big Yellow, we offer an Enhanced Liability Service which is specifically designed to protect against the particular perils that may befall items placed in self storage. Those risks may be small, but it would be unwise to ignore them.

When you take out our Enhanced Liability Service, your possessions are protected against all of the following:

• Loss or damage caused by burst pipes
• Mould and mildew
• Theft, forcible entry and exit
• Moths, insects or vermin
• Fire
• Lightening
• Explosions
• Earthquakes and storms
• Floods
• Riots, strike or civil commotion
• Malicious damage
• Damage from vehicles or aircraft

As you can see, it’s a comprehensive list and covers your valuables in most events you could think of.

Does everyone have the same cover?

We insist that everyone who places items in self storage is covered, although what you pay depends on the full replacement value of your items.

Are specialist items covered?

Our Enhanced Liability Service does have an upper limit on the total level of cover offered, and some specialist items may have particular packaging requirements (such as wool or silk rugs and furnishings) or need prior agreement in writing with us (such as gold and coins, or deeds and bonds) which would not otherwise be covered.

For wine storage, Big Yellow offers specific storage locations which are humidity and temperature controlled. If you wish to store your wine collection with us, you will need insurance provided by our Enhanced Liability Service. This covers against such things as deterioration of wine caused by failures in climate control over a period of time.

There are some items you can't store at all which includes living creatures, explosives including fireworks or firearms, any illegal substances, toxic substances or unlicensed medicines, among other things.

If you prefer, you can arrange your own insurance protection for your items in self storage. If this is your planned route however, there are some things to be aware of:

Your household contents insurance may not be adequate as many policies won’t extend to items in self storage facilities – even if the policy states that items are covered away from home. It’s important you carefully check the terms of your insurance policy to make sure it offers the same level of cover as our Enhanced Liability Service.

We’ll ask to see the certificate of insurance or the cover note which should include the full address of the self storage facility you are using. This is so we can verify your insurance cover meets the same standards as ours.

It's reassuring to know that your valuables are covered from the moment they enter self storage until the moment they're removed. This includes damage from other people's possessions because, since everyone has the same cover, you're covered from all angles.

It's unlikely you'll need to make a claim, but if you do we make it as easy as possible to go through the process.

Do I need an inventory?

We will ask you to provide a detailed inventory of the items in your self storage room. This helps us to work out the level of goods protection you need, but it also backs up your claims should the need arise. A regular review of your inventory is necessary to keep everything current and up to date, especially if you visit regularly to either add to or remove items from storage.

What will Contents Protection cost me?

It's impossible to say exactly what price storage contents protection will be because it depends on what you're storing and what today's new replacement cost would be. It's part of the reason we ask you to provide a detailed inventory as this will help you estimate the value of your items and so determine the necessary level of cover. Everyone's needs are slightly different and while the levels of cover are fairly broad, you may have possessions that need a higher level of cover.

Whatever it is you're looking to put into self storage with Big Yellow, we offer a goods protection service with competitive prices, giving you peace of mind and as straightforward a process as possible.