Storage Insurance: Necessity or Optional?

Storage Insurance: Necessity or Optional?

Have you ever heard of Murphy’s Law? If not, let me enlighten you. According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Murphy’s Law is “an observation that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Now, let us apply that to some real-life scenarios, shall we?

Imagine you are washing your car inside and out. You have taken out all of the car seats and have vacuumed every crumb your kids dropped on the way home from baseball practice. You have scrubbed down the rims and the exterior of your car and are so excited to have it sparkling like new. Then, your partner decides to take the car on a quick little camping trip up in the mountains. You meticulously organize everything in the vehicle to allow your hard work to be kept up. As you and your family are camping, a thunderstorm moves in just as you are eating smores. You decide the storm is not worth camping in, and you rush to pack up camp and stuff everything in the car. As you and your partner are quickly packing up camp, your two monsters… I mean, adorable… children decide to bring their smores in your newly washed car, melted chocolate and marshmallows and all. Once camp is packed, you take the dirt road out to the main road, only to run into large mud puddles that pack inches of mud on your newly washed tires and vehicle. You turn to your partner and say, “Well, there goes my nicely washed car.”

Though this a silly scenario, it illustrates how when you least expect it, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Just like Murphy’s Law, your life and belongings may eventually have accidents that you are not expecting and that are usually out of your control. Your belongings in your self-storage unit are no exception to this rule. That is why at Utah Storage Center, we suggest that our tenants have their belongings insured with self-storage insurance. 

What Insurance Is the Best?

Insurance is most definitely not “one size fits all.” Here are some questions to ask yourself when shopping for the best insurance company and type of insurance coverage.

 

  • Am I storing Electronics? 
  • Am I storing musical instruments?
  • Am I storing expensive paintings?
  • Am I storing vehicles, and will my vehicle and auto insurance cover the storage of my car at a storage facility? **Vehicles can include boats, RVs, Trailers, ATVs, etc.**
  • Is the area my self-storage facility is in prone to earthquakes, tornados, high winds, or other natural disasters?
  • Will I be storing my items long or short-term?

Did you know that your current renters’ insurance or homeowners insurance may cover your belongings at a storage facility? Depending on the company and coverage level, you may already have the ability to have your stored items covered!

Contact your current homeowners, renters, or Business insurance policy to see if your plan would cover your personal property at Utah Storage Center!

Does the Storage Facility Cover My Belongings?

Here at Utah Storage Center, if a natural disaster, water leaks, pests, burglary, or vandalism occur, we will fix the issues with the building itself. However, if your belongings are sadly damaged in the process, those are not the responsibility of the Storage Facility. For this reason, we suggest having insurance on your belongings for your security and additional peace of mind.

Precautions for Your Storage Unit

At Utah Storage Center we do our best to prevent those worst-case scenarios from happening. But you can also do your part to keep the dominos from falling into a disaster-like scenario. 

 

Suggestions for Storage:

  • Do NOT store food in your unit, including shelfstable items. We do not want a food source to attract potential rodents or bugs from the neighborhood who might find their way into the facility. It is best to keep all food items in a different location—or your tummies. 
  • Be cautious about who you give access to your unit, including no garage sales. We want our facilities to be as secure as possible. By limiting access to people who are not tenants, we can better protect the facility from the potential of vandalism. 
  • Check on your unit! If you notice any issues in your unit then report those concerns to the manager so that they can be addressed and resolved. Once your unit is rented, the managers are unable to check the inside of those units until they become vacant. For this reason, keep an eye on your unit and report any building issues to the facility manager. 
  • Have insurance! The best thing you can do to protect your belongings is to have insurance on those belongings.

Know Your Options

If you still need to know your insurance options, our facility managers can provide information about a third-party insurance company that can provide coverage options for as little as $7.95 per month. You can look at our storage location guide to find the facility nearest you. If you have questions about the Insurance options we offer, give that location a call for more information. 

We look forward to helping you choose the best insurance options for your storage unit!