Looking For Self Storage in Glasgow? Here’s What I Discovered.
If you’re thinking about using self storage in Glasgow, this information will almost certainly save you money as well as a lot of time and effort.
How Do The Glasgow Storage Companies Compare?
I searched on Google and found the following self storage Glasgow companies. They each gave me a quote for a 100sqft room to store the contents of my large 2 bed flat. The table below gives a summary of their prices, offers and my opinion of their service.
| Kangaroo | Len Lothian | Safestore | Russell | Aabsolute | |
| Weekly Price | £36 | £44.01 | £56.00 | £39.54 | £38 |
| Free Weeks Storage* | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Free Collection | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Weeks Deposit | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Insurance Weekly Cost | £1 | 98p | £13.50** | 85p | 75p |
| Customer Service | Excellent | Good | Excellent | OK | OK |
| 24 Hour Access | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Notice Period | 7 days | 28 days | 14 days | 28 days | 28 days |
Free Weeks Storage* – Every company offered “free” storage; this was dependent on a minimum period of stay e.g. stay for 12 weeks and you’ll get 6 weeks free.
Insurance** – Safestore automatically charge £13.50 a week for £9k of insurance cover for a 100sqft room.
In my opinion Kangaroo Self Storage Glasgow offered the best value for money.
My name is Ailsa Murray and like so many people, I needed some space to store my furniture when I moved to a new flat. I also realised just how much stuff I’ve bought over the last few years, especially shoes and clothes (I need a Gok fashion fix!).
I had never used self storage, but had noticed a couple of companies in Glasgow. However, 3 of my friends had each used a different company, so I started by picking their brains and getting recommendations from them.
I Was Surprised By What They Told Me…
Lisa stored with a company that stored her items in a wooden storage crate. They charged her £50 whenever she needed to get something out of storage. In the 6 months she used the storage she had to pay £100 just to get 2 things out of storage.
Jim had chosen a large national company, because he didn’t have time to shop around. He assumed they were competitively priced and their offers certainly seemed good. But after he’d moved in, he discovered he was paying nearly £20 a week more for his unit than he would have with another supplier. The insurance costs were also expensive. On top of that they had the cheek to increase the price after only 3 months in storage!
Finally, my friend Alice used a local company. She wasn’t impressed by their service and attitude and the storage room was dirty when she moved in. But she only needed storage for 4 weeks so she stayed, but strongly recommended that I didn’t use them.
And that was the point when I realised I had to find out more and see for myself what was on offer. I’ve summarised the results in the table above. Here’s more information:
Weekly Storage Cost
Kangaroo quoted me the cheapest price. The others were all more expensive, but said they would price match competitors if I provided a written quote. I really didn’t like this, what they’re saying is “if you don’t shop around we’ll rip you off”. How many people end up paying nearly £20 a week more than they need to?
Special Offers
Kangaroo, Len Lothian and Aabsolute offered me 6 weeks free storage if I stayed for 12 weeks.
Safestore only offered 3 weeks and Russell just 2 free weeks.
Free Collection
Kangaroo was the only one to offer a free collection service. I really liked this; it saves the time, trouble and expense of organising your own transport. Some others offered free van hire, but with insurance, fuel costs and a deposit of up £250 this wasn’t actually free.
Deposit
Kangaroo charged a deposit equivalent to 2 weeks rent for the size of room I rented. Len Lothian charged 1 weeks deposit whilst the others charged 4 weeks rent.
Insurance
Aabsolute offered me the cheapest insurance, then Russell, Len Lothian, and Kangaroo. Safestore were very expensive at £1.45
Customer Service
I found Safestore and Kangaroo offered the most friendly and professional service. I visited both sites before choosing. The Safestore building looked brand new and expensive. Kangaroo’s offered the same quality of storage unit and security.
The others had older facilities that just weren’t as welcoming and clean.
24 Hour Access
I did not need this service as most have long opening hours and are open 7 days a week. It costs quite a lot more to have 24 hour access. Only Safestore offered this feature.
Notice Period
Kangaroo only needed 7 days notice to move out. The others required 28 days notice. This matters because if you move out early, you still have to pay for the notice period, so it can be expensive.
Overall
For me, Kangaroo easily offered the best combination of service, facilities and price. The free collection service is a great option that saves the extra expense of arranging your own transport. They really seemed to have thought about their customers.
Len Lothian was my second choice and whilst I was impressed with Safestore, the prices they quoted to me were too expensive and their offers not competitive. They also kept telling me they were the biggest in the UK, but that didn’t justify their prices.
Here’s Why I Recommend Kangaroo
The reason why I recommend Kangaroo self storage is because they offered me the lowest price upfront. They took the trouble to find out exactly what I needed to store, so I was confident that they quoted me for the right size room. The free collection service was a real winner. The insurance wasn’t the cheapest, but the 2 week deposit reduced the moving in costs. The 7 day notice period reduced costs too.
In my opinion, they offered the best choice of storage in Glasgow. Obviously everyone is different but I have been really pleased with my choice.
Anyway, I hope you’ve found this information useful, whatever your situation. I wish I’d had the same information and opinion when I was looking. It would have saved me a lot of time.
Click here to visit Kangaroo Self Storage Glasgow
Good luck with whoever you choose,
Ailsa Murray.
Please help others by sharing your self storage experiences below.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting and useful post. Helpful to check out your blog and see how self storage operates outside the US.
Thanks for visiting, Ailsa
This is a great post about storage tips very handy and helpful, Thank You for sharing your tips…
Always glad to help, Ailsa
Just a quick note to say thanks for posting this information.
I found it extremely helpful and it saved me a huge amount of work and stress
I’m glad it helped you so much Freeda. Thanks for your comment, Ailsa.
thanks for this nice post. A rental company employee kicks off the auction by choosing one of the units to be auctioned off and opening it to the public, though those in attendance may not go inside. The employee then starts the bidding, asking how much bidders will pay for it.
What a strange and irrelevant comment! Ailsa.
I’ve been surprised by how many of my friends have needed self storage space for their belongings. Several have mentioned how helpful your blog has been in assisting them in making their choice.
I just thought I’d let you know so you realise just how helpful your blog has been to them.
Thanks Grace. Ailsa.
We are in battersea
The purpose of this blog is to inform anyone in Glasgow who’s looking for self storage. I really appreciate any comments that help people to make a choice. Those comments can come from anyone who adds value to the blog. Unfortunately some contributors leave this sort of lame, lazy and unwanted comment in the hope I’ll give them a link back to their website. It’s not going to happen guys unless you give something back to visitors to this blog. Rant over. Ailsa.
That’s a very interesting research that you have done.
Thank you self storage Battersea, Ailsa
Great blog! I recently needed to get storage for the long term and I really shopped around. I must be honest I landed up going with a company called Aabsolute Self Storage in Dalmarnock. I found their staff were really friendly and helpful and they even offered to collect my stuff for free! But the main reason I went with them was because they offered my 20% off because I was prepaying for 12 months. Their low price and this extra discount saved me almost £1000 over the year compared to one of the other places. Their insurance was also cheaper (75p for £1000 cover) and they let me take the amount that I thought was best. I honestly cannot fault them. While all the other companies were good, Aabsolute really did go the extra mile for me and I am very happy with my choice.
Thanks for your helpful comments George, Ailsa
The rates for storage in Glasgow are so much lower than in the south, you can triple the costs for self storage london rates, what is bad is no one has researched and compared the prices and deals for london where is costs so much more. Ailsa any chance you could help us out?
My work with storage is done Paul, I just leave this blog up to help others, Ailsa.
I had a very different experience to Hugh. I liked the feature on the Safestore website that showed the price for the size of room I needed. But it failed to include some hidden costs that the other storage companies I spoke to were open and honest about.
I needed a 100sqft unit and Safestore said that a unit that size automatically needed £9k of insurance costing £13.50 a week! The other companies let me choose my insurance cover.
Then they said I had to spend £11 on a padlock that had been approved by their insurance company. All the others said I could bring my own.
Safestore did offer to match any other quote I got but I was so disgusted by their high prices and sneaky extra costs I didn’t bother. Why don’t they offer good value prices upfront instead of making me do the work to shop around and then provide them with proof that I’ve got a lower quote so they don’t rip me off!
Thanks for your comment Roger, Ailsa
Hi, I did read your blog and at first called Kangaroo, they didnt call me back when agreed and i did shop around for the best price one of the locals was very cheap, I ended up going to Safestore, much larger outfit I knew id be safe with and guess what they did it at the cheaper local price. Why wouldnt I shop around i do it for everything i buy, i ended up with an excellent place to keep my stuff and an excellent price that im over the moon with!
Thanks for your comments Hugh. I agree, it’s always good to shop around, Ailsa.
I’ve stored my stuff at Kangaroo self storage in Glasgow for nearly a year now. Michael and the guys are always cheerful and helpful and I’d recommend them to anyone.
Thanks Kenny, good to hear their service is as good as ever, Ailsa.
Thanks Ailsa, you’ve saved me a lot of leg work in finding storage in Glasgow. I got quotes from Kangaroo, Len Lothian and Safestore and agree with your conclusions. I picked Kangaroo for price and convenience, but was happy with the service from the others.
Happy to help Judith, I’m glad we agreed, Ailsa.
great blog like ait loads
Thanks for the short, sharp feedback. Ailsa
This post is quite helpful thanks for posting .
Thanks David, Ailsa.
Great article very good i got alot out of this
Thanks Phil, glad it was useful to you, Ailsa.
As a Self Storage specialist myself i cannot but express my respect for Self Storage Glasgow. I have watched over the years as they have grown into one if not the best self storage company in our Industry.
Thanks for the positive comments from a self storage expert, Ailsa.
I need self storage glasgow and your review has helped me a lot.
Thanks Archie, Ailsa.
I didn’t shop around for quotes when I needed storage in Glasgow and I wish I’d found this blog to. Good info that will help anyone needing storage. I used Safestore nad was very happy with their service.
Thanks Susan. Ailsa.
I’m moving to Glasgow and have never used self storage before, so this blog has been really useful. Every self storage company I called thought I’d stored before because I knew which questions to ask. They all offered me better deals than advertised on their websites, so I’m going to save a lot of money. Thanks Ailsa, you deserve a drink!
Thanks Jen. It’s good to know folk get value from the blog. If you want to show your gratitude just give any charity a small donation! Ailsa.
Dear Ailsa
Thanks for your blog. It’s good to see someone trying to help the public with what can be a really confusing choice. I would just like to add that there are other alternatives out there – mobile self storage. Flexistore bring the storage to you – so no hassle or expense with van hire. If I can add one piece of non-partisan advice -it is to look very closely at the various rates as some companies charge weekly (or 4 weekly) and others monthly.
To compare:
Take the weekly amount and multiply by 52, then divide by 12. This gives you the equivalent monthly rate.
This assumes no special offers of course. Yeah, it can be quite complicated to compare.
Regards,
Jim Connell
Thanks Jim, Good advice. Ailsa.
Cool blog Ailsa.Very helpful blog and thanks for taking the time to put it together.
David. Aussie Storage.
No probs mate. Ailsa.
Great comparison chart! This will make it easier for storage Glasgow lookers to decide.
Thanks Mary. Ailsa
Cool blog Ailsa. I got quotes from Kangaroo, Len Lothian and Safestore. All helpful, but I ended up choosing Kangaroo. I picked the wrong day to move in – too much snow but the staff were brilliant, keeping in constant contact as I was stuck in traffic, very supportive and helpful. After my traffic problems the move in was easy. I was stressed by the move but they made it so much easier.
Moving is stressful enough without snow! Glad it went so well. Ailsa
I’ve never used storage befor and your blog is realy helpful. I chose Len Lothian cause it is convenient and the staff were very friendly. I feel safe that my things are stored there. My only point is the rooms are a bit dark and it would be easier with a light.
Thanks Rachel, interesting point about lights. Ailsa
Hi Ailsa, Getting a quote from Safestore in Glasgow is like getting blood from stone. “They wanted to talk to me to get more detail about my self storage requirements” – if they need more detail, ask for it on the enquiry form! I think it’s just a ploy to get you to call.
I finally got a quote from them for £56 – Kangaroo offered the same sized room for £36, reduced to £18 for the first 12 weeks. Safestore’s best offer of £42 didn’t come close.
Len Lothian quoted £46.32, reduced to £23.16 for 12 weeks. I liked their service and they were very responsive.
Aabsolute were a different story, bad attitude and slow to respond.
So I had a similar experience to you. Kangaroo and Len Lothian were very good – I chose Kangaroo, but would have been very happy to store at Len Lothian.
Thanks Susan, your comments will help others which is the whole point of this blog. Ailsa.
Hi Ailsa,
Thanks for this article it was very helpful for me since I’m also looking for an affordable self storage service.
Once again, thanks for the advice.
Glad to help Kim. Ailsa
They are charging 14 pounds more for self storage than Kangaroo and not even giving a facility of free collection, that’s shame.
I’m not sure what you mean Wayne, but hope you found what you were looking for. Ailsa
Thanks for the valuable info.
My pleasure. Ailsa
Hi Ailsa,
Thanks for the informative post about self storage. That is a really useful comparison chart. I have been doing some blogs on self storage in general and am trying to collaborate some advice on choosing a self storage company. There really is a lot to think about!
There are some handy hints and tips on the web, and thanks for your input!
John
Glad you found it helpful. Ailsa
Hi Alysa,
From my first contact with Kangaroo to the moving in day the staff were helpful and friendly. Everything was thoroughly explained which led to a stress free move. Very impressed with the security.
Thanks for the recommendation
James
Hi James, thanks for sharing your experience. Ailsa
Reusing items saves money, reduces waste and is a way to do something positive for the environment. Items we throw away such as bed, television, clothes, furniture, printer, toys, sofa and computer can pass to someone in your community.
Recycling is an effective way to cut down on the use of these limited resources as well as promoting community involvement in the process.
If you haven’t heard yet, there is a wonderful organization called Free Give Group. Free Give Group connects people who are giving and getting unwanted items for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills and, at the same time, helping someone in your community by gifting them the item you no longer need. Another benefit of using Freegive is that it encourages poeple to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process. By using Freegive, not only are you able to get rid of your item with the minimum of fuss; you will also be doing your part in stopping another reusable item ending up in a landfill. It’s completely free to join.
Go to Glasgow Freegive group website at http://www.freegive.co.uk/p/glasgow.htm
How freegive group works:
1. You have a television or clothes or furniture or printer or toys you were going to throw out.
2. You join your local Freegive group.
3. You post an offer on your local Freegive group.
4. People respond to you if they are interested.
5. You pick a recipient and arrange for them to collect the item.
6. They take the item away.
7. You let your local freegive group know that the item is no longer available by posting an item TAKEN message to the group.
Note: If you need an item you can request one on your local freegive group in the same way by posting an item WANTED message to the group and if someone has what you’re looking for they will contact you to offer it.
This is a great idea! Encouraging people to reuse and recycle things by giving them away and not sending them to the garbage bin!
I think freegive is a great way to build a bond in the community and it’s always good to recycle. I think it’s a fantastic idea and everyone should join!
What a great idea. Ailsa
Hi Ailsa,
Very helpful blog and thanks for taking the time to put it together.
I phoned each of the companies you’ve reviewed and chose Kangaroo too. Excellent service from Michael.
The collection service easily saved me £50.
Great name Zingo!
Hi Ailsa,
Very useful blog – thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve moved from storage in London to Glasgow. Glasgow’s about half the price!
Thanks,
Sergey.
Thanks Sergey. Yet another reason to live in Glasgow! Ailsa.
In Glasgow, I’ve been surprised by how many of my friends have needed self storage space for their belongings. Several have mentioned how helpful your blog has been in assisting them in making their choice. I just thought I’d let you know so you realise just how helpful your blog has been to them.
Hi Gyan, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Ailsa.
Hi Ailsa,
I had to choose between Kangaroo and Aabsolute who both gave me excellent quotes through their websites, Kangaroo which you linked and http://www.absolutselfstoage.co.uk for Abbsolutes. Aabsolute actually matched Kangaroo when I told them the price they offered.
Maybe it still helps if you go to each storage company through email or the internet and get a quote?
Dave
Thanks Dave, Ailsa
Hi Ailsa,
Great blog, found it really handy. I called Kangaroo and Safestore to get prices today 29/11/09 (didnt bother with the others after reading your blog) and kangaroo quoted a much higher price than you got, it was £42 for a 100 square foot still, cheaper than Safestore but thats a 30% price increase, hope thay havent passed that on to you if you moved in. The other thing I think you could put on is opening times, Safestore are open much longer hours, the one I spoke to in Rutherglen was open till 8pm during the week(but the guy said it was just that store) and they are open longer at the weekend, while Kangaroo shut at 6pm during the week and even less over the weekend. I think I’ll chance my arm and ask for a price match at Safestore so can can get the longer hours and move after work.
Thanks for putting all the info together, it has saved me time having to call loads of places.
Pamela
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for the comment. I checked the Kangaroo price and was quoted £36 for a 100sqft unit. Good point about the opening hours. Hope your move goes well. Ailsa.
Hi Ailsa,
I felt my stresses evaporate because Kangaroo Self Storage really understood my needs! Very professional, easy check-in procedure. Friendly, helpful staff. I was able to change to a smaller room on the day, having over estimated how much space I would need, so saved some money. I made my decision on value, not price, but still got the best on both counts.
Cheers.
Thanks for your comment Gerry. Ailsa
Hi Ailsa,
Great information and really helpful. I’ve just been on the safestore website and noticed they are only offering 2 weeks free storage. You might want to update your table.
Thanks David. Updated. Ailsa
Really helpful blog Ailsa. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Fiona, Ailsa.
Useful blog Ailsa. I’m storing at kangaroo, very helpful, friendly staff, clean well maintained storage facilities, resonably priced.
Thanks Colin. Ailsa.
Ailsa,
We’ve had lots of customers who have been kind enough to recommend Kangaroo and refer us to their friends and colleagues. We’ve even had a few blog posts and comments, but never anything like this. It makes me feel so proud that a small Scottish company can compete with the big PLC’s.
We just want to give our customers fantastic service, the lowest prices and the best offers. It’s as simple as that.
Let me know if you ever need storage again!
Sincere thanks
Chris
MD – Kangaroo Self Storage
Hi Chris, I wondered how long it would take you to find this. You guys deserve the praise. Just make sure you keep it up. Ailsa.
Creating a blog based on one companies customer service does seem a bit far but they must be good for you to go this far. I have saw their building while visiting the Forge near by and their building does look bright and clean.
Good Blog tho, lots of in depth information.
Thanks Mark,
They were good and they acted as a sort of catalyst for me. I’ve been really surprised by the number of comments I’ve had. It’s good to know it’s helpful. I’ve added a post to my blog explaining how I’ll focus on great customer service. If you’ve got an examples let me know. Ailsa.
Hi Alisa,
The review is really helpful however I actually went with Safestore as they offered me a free van for 24 hours, they also matched kangaroos offer of 6 weeks free and a 2 week security deposit and their insurance rate. Another one of the reasons I chose them is that you can pay for storage with tescos vouchers (clubcard points) and if you reccomend someone they give you £100 in vouchers you can spend in high st shops. The notice period is actually 14 days not 28.
Regards
Paul
Thanks Paul,
I’m really pleased you found my blog helpful. I thought Safestore’s local people were good too. But I really don’t like this corporate price match stuff. It just seems a wee bit dishonest to me. Lots of people just don’t have the time to shop around and if they don’t, they’ll pay a lot more. But I suppose that’s just a general rule now, you’ll save if you shop around; that’s why the price comparison websites do so well.
Hope it works out well for you, Ailsa.
PS I’ll update the notice period.
Hi Ailsa,
Thanks for the fair and balanced reviews, they really helped me. I called 2 of the storage services. The Kangaroo staff were really helpful with choosing the storage space and everything went really smoothly. Also their webpage was the easiest to follow, with good information about each storage size. If all goes to plan (fingers crossed) I’ll be moving in at the end of September.
Thanks for your help. It saved me some leg work.
Hi Rebecca, glad to be of help and good luck with your move. Ailsa.
i was looking for there number and found this. Just to let you know Kangaroo are one of the best businesses of any kind that i have any dealings with.
Great minds John… Thanks for visiting. Ailsa
I live in New York, so I’m not sure how I ended up on your blog. Very useful advice, but I think I’ll store somewhere nearer to my apartment.
My blogs gone international. My fame grows. Ailsa
Hiya
This was a great read and I had kind of figured Kangaroo were the best also.
I’m actually considering hiring a transit at the cost of £65 not including petrol and storing my furniture with a storage company in Fort William that will cost me £45 per month. I am storing for 6 months as I am selling my flat and then moving to rental accomodation for 6 months.
Great advice Ailsa
Thanks
Thanks for your comment Leonie and idea – I hadn’t thought of heading north for my storage. It’s good to know this blog is useful. Ailsa
Ailsa, great blog and thanks for sharing. I needed a smaller room than you. Kangaroo gave me 2 sizes:
a 50sqft @ £21 a week
a 75sqft @ £29.
I did call Safestore as well, but they were much more expensive:
50sqft @ £30.50
75sqft @ £40.50
Both really helpful, but Kangaroo impressed me more.
Thanks for your comment Andy. I’m glad my blog helped you. Ailsa