Effectively Using Storage During a Move

After a divorce, there are a range of reasons to hire a self storage unit. However, due to a combination of desperation and finances, many divorced people share a storage unit with the partner they are divorcing. While it may work in some situations, sharing a storage unit is not advisable. Here's why you should avoid it:

1. It is not your financial responsibility to house your partner's stuff

If your partner moved into a great apartment with their new lover and left you to deal with the house and its contents, you are likely dealing with a lot of your partner's junk. Whether it's old tools, memory books, boxes of old writings or anything else, it is not your responsibility.

Instead of putting that stuff into a storage unit you have rented, box it up and contact your ex-partner. If they don't pick it up by a certain date, throw it out. Taking care of it is not your financial or personal responsibility, and you shouldn't assume the liability of housing their stuff.

2. If your partner fails to pay the storage unit bill, you may lose important things

If you and your partner decide to share a unit and your partner assumes responsibility for it, that may not work. As you have ended your relationship, your ex-partner may no longer feel a sense of fidelity and responsibility for you.

If the financial stresses of being single get to your partner, he or she may fail to pay the bill. If he or she fails to communicate that fact to you, the unit may go up for auction, and you may lose things that are important to you, from baby pictures of your kids to family heirlooms.

However, if you pay for your own unit, you are in control and can always ensure it is paid for.

3. Storage units may be more affordable than you think

There are basically two reasons a divorced couple would share a storage unit. Their items may already be in a storage unit, and they don't want the hassle of separating them. Alternatively, they may not believe they have the cash to rent their own storage unit.

If you aren't trying to rent your own unit because you are worried about prices, you may be surprised after doing some comparison shopping. There are a range of storage unit prices, and you can often get cheaper prices by hiring a smaller unit (a locker instead of a garage for example), hiring a unit that is further out of town or by paying in advance rather than monthly.

Businesses like Self Storage Australia will be able to help you determine the size of unit needed, making sure you get one that fits within your budget.

4. Sorting through a storage unit of shared stuff can be hard

Regardless of the financial risks and the risks associated with losing your stuff, sharing a unit with the person you have divorced can be emotionally hard. What happens if you have to sort through the storage unit several years down the road? It could open up emotional scars that you thought were healed and gone. Instead of dealing with that, just get your own storage unit right away.