Storage Services

How Our Storage Services Work, Step by Step

Most people who ask about our storage services are in the middle of something else: a house sale that has completed before the purchase, a renovation that has overrun, a parent moving into care, or a business that has outgrown its office but not yet found the next one. Storage is rarely the goal. It is the bridge between two dates, and our job is to make that bridge feel solid. Hilderbrands has been a family-run removals and storage business in Kent since 1949, so we have seen almost every reason a household or company needs somewhere safe to put its belongings for a while.

Unlike a drive-up self-storage site, where you hire a van, load it yourself and carry everything into a unit, our service is containerised and handled by our own removal crews from start to finish. That difference matters more than many people expect, and it is worth understanding before you choose.

1. A free written estimate

Everything starts with a careful, obligation-free written estimate. One of our experienced estimators looks at what needs storing, how fragile or bulky it is, and whether any of it will be needed back before the rest. From that we can work out how many storage containers you are likely to need and whether packing would help. The estimate is in writing, so there are no surprises when the day comes.

2. Packing and collection

On collection day our crew wraps furniture, packs anything you have asked us to pack, and loads it onto the vehicle. You can choose a full packing service, a part pack of the delicate items only, or pack yourself using quality boxes we supply. Within a 25-mile radius of the depot we provide materials and collect them again afterwards.

3. Wooden containers in a secure warehouse

Your goods are placed into wooden storage containers, which are then held in our secure warehouse. Because the containers are loaded by experienced removers rather than in a rush at the end of a long day of DIY, items are stacked properly, with heavy pieces low and fragile cartons protected. You are not carrying boxes into a unit yourself, which is one of the quiet advantages of containerised storage over drive-up self-storage.

4. Visits by appointment and redelivery

If you need something back, call us and we will arrange a visit by appointment. When the time comes to move into your new home or office, we redeliver the containers’ contents and place furniture in the rooms you choose. Collect, store, re-deliver: one company, one point of contact, one written agreement.

Choosing the Right Type of Storage

Our storage services fall into three broad strands, and the right one depends less on the volume of goods than on how and when you will need them.

Domestic storage for home moves

Broken chains are the most common reason families come to us. Completion dates slip, buyers want to move in before your next home is ready, or you decide to rent for a few months in a new area before buying. Our domestic storage service for household goods lets us move you out, hold your furniture, and then deliver it to the new address when the keys arrive. Many customers also use domestic storage during building work, keeping a kitchen’s worth of contents and spare bedroom furniture out of the dust. Not sure storage is necessary at all? Our guide asking do you need storage when moving house sets out the usual scenarios.

Commercial storage for businesses

Businesses use storage differently. A salon refitting its premises, a firm downsizing to a smaller office, or a company holding archived files, spare desks and seasonal stock all need a reliable place that does not tie up expensive floor space. Our commercial storage for Kent businesses works hand in hand with our office moves, so equipment can go straight from your old premises into containers and come back out when the new space is fitted. We plan these jobs around your trading hours wherever possible.

Student storage between terms

Students in Kent, and families of students studying further afield, often need somewhere to put a room’s worth of belongings over the summer rather than hauling everything home and back again. Our student storage service is designed for smaller volumes: boxes, a bike, a desk chair, a few bags of bedding. It is a sensible option when a tenancy ends in June and the next starts in September.

Preparing Your Belongings for Storage

Goods that are packed well for storage come out in the same condition they went in. Goods that are packed carelessly can suffer from crushing, damp or dust over a period of months. A little preparation goes a long way, and our crews are always happy to advise on the day.

• Clean and dry everything. Fridges, freezers and washing machines should be defrosted, drained and dried, with doors left slightly ajar inside the container to keep air moving.
• Use proper cartons. Strong, uniform boxes stack safely. Supermarket boxes and bin bags collapse under weight and make a container harder to load.
• Label on two sides. Write the room and a short contents list, so a carton can be found during a visit without unpacking half a container.
• Keep essentials separate. Passports, paperwork, medication and anything you will need in the coming weeks should travel with you, not into storage.
• Tell us about valuables. Antiques, artwork and instruments can be wrapped and positioned with extra care if we know about them at the estimate stage.

For customers who would rather hand the whole job over, our professional packing services cover everything from a few boxes of glassware to an entire house. It is also worth keeping your own list of what went into storage, which makes checking everything off much easier when it comes back. If you want to understand how containers are loaded efficiently, this article on how to pack a storage unit efficiently explains the principles our crews follow.

Why Kent Customers Trust Hilderbrands With Storage

Handing over the contents of your home to any provider of storage services is an act of trust, and we take that seriously. We are members of the British Association of Removers and work to the BAR Code of Practice, which is a Trading Standards Approved Code. That means clear terms, honest estimates and a proper complaints procedure. For inland UK domestic moves, the BAR Advance Payment Guarantee protects money paid in advance. Our service is also aligned with BS EN 12522, the European standard for furniture removal for private individuals, and we are registered with The Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman, giving you independent redress if anything ever goes wrong.

We are not the cheapest storage provider in Kent, and we do not claim to be. What we offer is value: trained crews who handle your goods as though they were their own, a single company responsible for the move in, the storage and the move out, and a family name that has been attached to removals in this corner of the county for over 70 years.

Local depots, local knowledge

Our head office and depot is at Goodnestone, Faversham, with a base in Canterbury and a presence near Sittingbourne at Iwade. That spread means we can collect from and redeliver to most of East and North Kent without long empty journeys, from Whitstable and Herne Bay to Thanet, Dover, Ashford and the Isle of Sheppey. Customers in the Swale area often read our page on storage in Sittingbourne for local detail. We also store goods for customers moving abroad, holding furniture in Kent while they settle in, before shipping it on.

To talk through your storage services needs, call our Faversham office on 01795 535666 or our Canterbury office on 01227 463435, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. If you prefer to start online, request a free storage and removals quote and an estimator will be in touch.