Life is always funny in that it generates more than space. On a day you are comfortably living, and the next you are scurrying around cardboard boxes tall as giants just to get to the kitchen kettle. Sound familiar?

Self storage units have unobtrusively turned into a savior to millions not only to hoarders or people in transit, but also to entrepreneurs, collectors, bereaved families clearing out homes and everyone in between. The demand is real. The choices are perplexing. And what errors man makes? Surprisingly consistent.

The greatest myth is that all facilities are made equal. They are not in any way.

Enter a poorly run facility and you will see flickering lights, sticky floors and security gate that opens up should you look at it at the side. Enter a properly managed one and it seems like it is nearly comforting. It is a big difference when your possessions are lying there unattended months.

One thing that people do not take seriously is temperature. Furniture, guitars and electronics can be ruined, documents destroyed by humidity alone. Storage that is controlled by climate is slightly higher per month. However, weigh that against the expense of replacing an old record collection or photos soaked by water in the family album – it all of a sudden seems like a no-brainer.

The puzzle of getting the unit size is in itself. Be too small and you are on your weekend gymnastics trying to reach anything in the back. Get too big and you are paying a premium on air. A useful tip: write down all the things you want to keep in one place, find an easy sizing guide on the Internet, and add a size. Buffer space is not wasted, it is sanity that is maintained.

The security audit should not be omitted. Point blank question: Do you have live monitored cameras or are they recorded? Do the units have individual alarms? After hours what? A shabby responding to simple questions likely has something to conceal – or simply something to be humiliated about.

Contracts are to be read slowly and in a deliberate manner. Advertisement rates are bait and simple. The actual cost usually comes out in the background after two or three months when the rates come into effect. Always enquire about the frequency of review of prices and the percentage.

Accessibility is a stumbling block to business owners. Drive-up access is not an option when you have to load product three times per week – it is a must.

See before you sign. In person. Professionally styled fiction is half the time the photos on websites. Appear, walk around, open a unit door and follow your gut.

Storage right, buys you breathing room. Do it in a slipshod fashion, and it only transfers the mess.