LOVESPACE is well reviewed, with 4.4 out of 5 from more than 7,600 reviews on Trustpilot (checked 14 October 2026). Read through reviews of any collection storage company and the same few things matter to people: a team that turns up when it said it would, someone who comes to the door, a price with no surprises and a real person to talk to. Here’s how the two services compare, and how we handle each of those at JamStorage.

JamStorage and LOVESPACE at a Glance

LOVESPACE details are taken from its website, checked 14 October 2026.

What Matters on Collection Day, and How We Handle It

We Turn Up When We Say We Will

Collection day often lands in the middle of a move, a renovation or an already busy week, so a late van throws everything off. Our team is punctual and arrives when we’ve told you we will.

We Come to Your Door, Not the Kerb

Our team knocks on your door and collects from your home, so nothing gets left on the pavement or at reception. We do the loading, so you won’t be carrying a wardrobe, mattress or armchair down the stairs yourself. When your belongings come back, they come back to your door too.

A Price You Know Before You Book

You’ll see your price through our instant quote before you commit. The van is included in your quote for collection and for bringing your things back, so getting your belongings home doesn’t add up box by box.

A Real Person on the Phone

If something comes up, call us on 0208 166 1665 and you’ll speak to the team.

Every Box Accounted For

We complete an inventory when your belongings go into storage, so we know exactly what we’re looking after for you. Everything is kept in sealed Jam Pods under CCTV. You can add insurance when you get your quote, or use your own.

Getting Things Back When You Need Them

You don’t have to end your storage to get something back. Request one or two things at a time and we’ll bring them to you. It works by the box, so packing into smaller, themed boxes means you get back more of what you need, without everything else coming with it.

Which One Suits You?

If you’re outside London, LOVESPACE reaches you and we don’t.

If you’re in London and storing more than a few boxes, we’re set up for that. A mattress, a wardrobe, a room’s worth of belongings or seasonal kit like skis and Christmas decorations all fit the way we work. That might be storage while you move home, storage while you renovate or storage to free up space at home. Students can look at our student storage in London.

Ready to go? Get an instant quote, or work out how much space you need first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Difference Between JamStorage and LOVESPACE?

Both collect, store and return your belongings. LOVESPACE works across the UK and prices by the box. JamStorage covers London, prices by the space you need and is set up for furniture and household loads as well as boxes, with a free van and loading included.

Does JamStorage Collect From My Door?

Yes. Our team comes to your door, collects from your home and loads the van, so you don’t need to carry anything out or leave it on the pavement.

Can I Get Some of My Things Back Without Ending Storage?

Yes. You can request one or two things back at a time. It works by the box, so you request that box back rather than a single item inside it.

Does JamStorage Cover All of London?

Yes, from North to South, East to West. You can see the areas we cover.

Is My Storage Insured?

You can add insurance when you get your quote, or bring your own. It covers collection, storage and return.

The post JamStorage vs LOVESPACE: How Our London Storage Compares appeared first on Jam Storage.

This is an honest comparison, including the situations where self storage is the better choice. It covers effort, whether you need a car, access and what comes back to you, security, and who each option suits. Cost has its own guide, so if that’s your main question, see how much storage costs in London.

The Short Answer: Which One Suits You?

With self storage, you rent a space and do the carrying: the van, the loading and every trip back. With storage with collection, the company collects your belongings, stores them and returns them when you ask. Self storage suits frequent access. Collection suits people who want the work done.

Most people sit clearly in one column, and the sections below explain why.

What Storage With Collection Actually Is

Storage with collection is a service where a company collects your belongings from your door, keeps them in secure storage and brings them back when you ask. It’s also known as valet storage. You never visit a storage site, because the company does the moving in both directions.

With JamStorage, the van for collection and return comes to your door and our team does the loading, so you don’t carry anything yourself. Your belongings are kept in secure, sealed Jam Pods, we complete an inventory when they go into storage, and we bring them back to your door when you want them. You don’t have to store everything you own, either. Partial storage is a normal booking, and you can add to it later by booking another collection.

In four steps:

1. Get a quote online.
2. Book a collection.
3. We load your belongings and take them away.
4. When you want a box or a piece of furniture back, you request it from your online portal and we deliver it.

For the detail behind each step, read how storage with collection works, or see our storage with collection in London.

What Is Containerised Storage? Containers, Pods and Collection Services Compared

Containerised storage means your belongings are kept in an individual container inside a warehouse or a yard, usually run by a removals or storage company. Collection and delivery is often part of the service. You get access by arrangement, with notice, rather than walking in whenever you like.

Containerised Storage in a Warehouse

The company collects, stores and returns your belongings, and you don’t visit. This is what most people mean by storage with collection and delivery.

Outdoor Container Yards and Shipping Containers

You hire a steel container in a secure yard, fill it yourself and visit by arrangement, so it’s closer to self storage than to a collection service. It’s also a growing part of the UK market: container storage accounts for 40% of new self storage openings, according to the Self Storage Association UK’s 2026 industry report.

Storage Pods Delivered to Your Address

A portable pod is dropped at your address and collected for storage once you’ve filled it. Hold Storage describes this model as a container sent to your address that you load once before it’s sealed. Unlike collection storage, the loading is still yours to do.

Where JamStorage Fits

Out of the three, JamStorage is closest to containerised storage in a warehouse, just more flexible. We keep your belongings in sealed Jam Pods, and our team does the collecting, loading and returning for you.

Effort, Loading and Packing: Who Does the Work?

With self storage, you pack, load, drive, unload and carry everything to your unit, then repeat the whole thing in reverse when you leave. With storage with collection, typically the company does the loading and the driving in both directions. Packing is the one job left on your side with either option.

On a self storage day, that includes the walk from the loading bay to your unit. A mattress, a wardrobe and an armchair are awkward enough down one flight of stairs, let alone in and out of a van twice in one day.

With collection, the team loads your belongings into the van and takes them away. Parking is rarely complicated, because we arrive in a small van, so it’s more like a supermarket delivery than a full house move. If you need boxes, tape or packing materials, our box shop sells them, and you don’t need to book storage to buy them.

Whichever you choose, well packed boxes make the day easier. Pack by category (kitchen, books, winter clothes) and label every box clearly.

Do You Need a Car or Van?

Self storage assumes you can drive. If you don’t, or you don’t want to hire a van, you’ll need to pay someone to move your things before you even get started. Storage with collection removes that step entirely, so you don’t need a licence, a vehicle or a free weekend.

That matters in London more than anywhere. 42% of London households have no car or van, the highest share of any region in England and Wales according to the 2021 Census, and the figure reaches 66% in Islington and Tower Hamlets.

Van hire can be awkward if you’re under 25 or only need it once. Enterprise, for example, requires van drivers to be at least 25, and 30 for a Luton van, and takes a deposit on your card. If you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997, a standard category B licence covers vehicles up to 3,500kg, and some hire firms will ask for a DVLA check code, which can be used once and lasts 21 days. Book a man and van instead and you’re usually paying for their time, so the slower the loading, the longer the bill runs.

If you already own a car or van and the site is close by, this advantage shrinks. And with collection, you still need to decide what goes into storage and have it ready on collection day.

Access: What You Get Back and How Fast

Access is the biggest trade-off between the two. Self storage gives you walk-in access to everything you’ve stored. Storage with collection brings things to you, which takes time, and what comes back is a whole box or piece of furniture, not one object from inside a box.

With self storage, you visit when it suits you, open your unit and take exactly what you want. Opening hours vary between operators, and some offer 24 hour access, sometimes at extra cost. If you want things back at short notice, self storage wins.

With JamStorage, you request a box or a piece of furniture back and we deliver it to your door. Redelivery can take a couple of days, so you do need to plan ahead a bit. You can ask for one or two things back at a time rather than a full return.

Retrieval Is Box Level

Boxes aren’t opened to find a single item, so if you want something that’s packed in a box, you request that box back. That keeps your belongings sealed and looked after, rather than handled by people searching through them.

So pack several smaller, themed boxes rather than a few large ones. A box marked “winter coats” or “camping gear” gets you back what you need without a lot you don’t. Large unboxed items, such as a mattress, a chest of drawers or an armchair, come back individually anyway. 

For more on requesting things back, see how storage with collection works.

Security and Insurance

Both models can be secure. Self storage usually means your own padlock or code, a staffed or monitored site and controlled access. With collection, your belongings are inventoried, sealed and kept under CCTV, and you’re not the one handling them in transit.

Whichever you choose, check how the provider controls access to your belongings, whether the site is covered by CCTV, and what happens to your things while they’re being moved.

At JamStorage, your belongings go into secure, sealed Jam Pods with an inventory, and they’re held under CCTV. We’re also a Which? Trusted Trader. 

Storage providers usually require your belongings to be insured, although it isn’t a legal requirement. We offer insurance covering collection, storage and return, which you can buy during the quote process, or you can bring your own insurance or arrange your own quote. We like to keep things flexible. It’s worth checking whether your home contents policy covers items away from home, because many don’t. 

When Traditional Self Storage Is the Better Choice

Choose self storage if you’ll want your belongings often, need them at short notice, or want to manage everything yourself. It’s the better fit for anyone who drives and values walk-in access over having the work done for them.

It’s usually the right call if:

• You need things back weekly or fortnightly. Regular trips are what self storage is built for.
• You want to sort through belongings in person without requesting them back. Going through a lifetime of papers or photos is easier standing in front of them.
• You’ll be moving things in and out as a project moves on, such as a home office you’re slowly clearing or furniture you’re swapping between rooms.
• You already have a car or van and a site nearby, so not needing to drive counts for less.
• You want to pick out individual items one at a time, rather than requesting a whole box back.

If that’s you, a self storage unit is the right option, and our cost guide will help you compare. See how much storage costs in London.

When Storage With Collection Is the Better Choice

Choose storage with collection if you want the lifting and driving done for you, don’t drive, and are storing things you won’t need back at short notice. It works best for belongings that can sit safely out of the way for a while.

• Moving between homes. If your completion dates don’t line up, we’ll look after your belongings until your new place is ready. Read more about storage when you’re moving home.
• Renovating. Clearing a room for builders means the sofa and wardrobe need to go somewhere. Here’s how storage during a renovation works.
• Decluttering a flat. London space is precious, and a spare mattress shouldn’t take over a bedroom. See our decluttering storage options.
• Seasonal items. Skis, camping gear and Christmas decorations only come out once or twice a year, and seasonal storage keeps them out of the way until then.
• Students. Between terms or during a year abroad, student storage in London saves dragging everything home.
• The harder moments. After a bereavement, a relationship breakdown, or a flood that leaves a home needing repairs, storage gives you time and space. We’ll look after your belongings while you sort out what comes next.

Not sure storing makes sense at all? Our guide on whether self storage is worth it covers that.

If collection sounds right for you, get an instant quote.

A Quick Word on Cost

The two models are priced differently, and the headline rate is only part of the total. With self storage, add the van hire, a day of loading and every trip in and out, then see how much storage costs in London to compare the full picture.

How to Choose: Five Questions to Ask Yourself

Ask yourself how often you’ll want your things back, whether you drive, how much you can carry, how long you’ll need storage, and what you’re storing. Your answers usually point clearly to one option.

1. How often will I want my things back? Weekly or at short notice points to self storage. Rarely points to collection.
2. Do I drive, and do I want to? If not, collection saves the van hire and the trips.
3. How much can I carry? A sofa, a wardrobe and a mattress are a lot of lifting for one weekend or one person.
4. How long will I need storage? JamStorage is designed for customers who need storage for at least a few weeks. If you’re only looking for a very short-term option, our service may not be the right fit, but we’re always happy to have a conversation. Give us a call on 0208 166 1665 and we can talk through what works for you.
5. What am I storing? Dormant, bulky belongings suit collection. Things you use every week suit self storage.

What to Ask Any Provider

Whichever way you lean, these questions help you compare providers fairly:

• How do you get things back, how much notice do you need to give, and how is redelivery charged?
• Do you pay for space you don’t use?
• Is insurance included, or is it separate?
• What happens to your belongings in transit?

Ready to see what storage with collection would look like for you? Get an instant quote.

Work out how much space you need with our calculator. As a rough guide, a one bed flat is around 70 sq ft, a two bed flat around 105 sq ft, a three bed house around 140 sq ft, and a five bed house or larger around 245 sq ft.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference Between Storage With Collection and Self Storage?

With storage with collection, the company collects, loads, stores and returns your belongings. With self storage, you rent a space and do all the carrying yourself. Self storage gives you walk-in access, while collection saves you the van, the lifting and the trips. See the short answer for a quick guide.

Is Storage With Collection the Same as Valet Storage?

Yes. Both describe the same model, where a company collects your belongings from your door, stores them and brings them back when you ask. You’ll also see it called door-to-door storage or collection and delivery storage.

What Is Containerised Storage?

Containerised storage means your belongings are kept in an individual container inside a warehouse, usually by a removals or storage company. Collection and delivery is often included, and access is by arrangement rather than walk-in. Read more in our containerised storage section. 

Is a Storage Pod the Same Thing?

Not usually. A portable storage pod is delivered to your address, you load it yourself, and it’s then collected and stored. With a collection service, the team does the loading for you, so you don’t have to lift anything.

Can I Visit My Belongings?

JamStorage is collection and delivery only, so there’s no site to visit. Instead, you request a box or a piece of furniture back and we deliver it to your door. If you’d rather look through your things in person, self storage is the better fit.

How Quickly Can I Get Something Back?

Redelivery usually takes a couple of days, so plan ahead for anything you’ll want back. You can request one or two things back at a time rather than everything at once. If you might need something at short notice, self storage is the better choice for that item.

The post Storage With Collection vs Self Storage: How They Compare appeared first on Jam Storage.

The weekly rate is only part of what you’ll pay. This guide covers what moves the price, what happens when an introductory offer ends and the costs that sit on top, then compares traditional self storage with a collection and delivery service like ours.

London Self Storage Prices by Size

Source: Which? guide to getting the most out of self storage, drawing on the Self Storage Association UK’s 2025 industry report.

Why the Table Only Has Two Sizes

No big operator publishes a London price list by size. Prices are set store by store and given through a quote, and Shurgard’s London page lists a “from” price for each store without saying which size it applies to. A London table covering every size is usually built from UK averages, so the real figure for your size, area and dates comes from a quote.

Weekly Prices, Four-Weekly Bills

Most big operators quote a weekly price and bill every four weeks. Big Yellow, for example, charges four weekly and in advance. That’s 13 bills a year rather than 12, so any “monthly” figure is an approximation. Compare the weekly rate.

Double the Space Doesn’t Mean Double the Price

On the Which? London ranges, 40 sq ft works out at about £4 to £5.75 per sq ft a month, while 150 sq ft comes to about £2.67 to £4. If you’re on the edge between two sizes, price the bigger one before squeezing everything into the smaller.

What Pushes Storage Prices Up or Down

Location. Prices climb towards central London. Shurgard’s lowest advertised weekly price runs from £7.15 at Chadwell Heath to £40.62 in Knightsbridge. It doesn’t say which size each price covers, so read it as a sign of how much location matters rather than a like-for-like comparison.

How long you commit for. Longer commitments usually earn a lower weekly rate. Safestore advertises that you can save up to 55% every week with a 12 month quote.

Access hours. Standard opening hours are usually included, but Which? notes that extended-hours access is generally chargeable.

VAT. Storage has been standard rated for VAT since 1 October 2012, but prices aren’t all presented the same way.

What Big Yellow and Safestore Charge in London

Neither publishes a London price list. Both give an exact figure through a quote for your store, size and dates.

Big Yellow. Its price page lists weekly prices by size, but they include its 50% opening offer and aren’t London specific. At store level, Kings Cross lists a 9 sq ft locker from £7.80 a week, again with the discount applied. According to its pricing FAQs, the discount covers your first invoice only, which is 4, 8 or 12 weeks paid in advance.

Safestore. Its London page publishes no unit prices. You choose a store, size and contract length, and the quote tool shows the price and any offer. You may come across a Safestore table of weekly and monthly prices by size, but those figures are labelled as SSA UK national averages, “not representative of a specific storage location or provider”. They aren’t what a London Safestore will quote you.

Shurgard and Access Self Storage work the same way, with store “from” prices and a quote tool.

Introductory Offers and What Happens When They End

Most big London operators lead with an offer, usually 50% off the first few weeks or £1 for the first month, then move you onto the standard rate. That later rate decides what storage really costs you.

Here’s why. If an offer halves the weekly rate for eight weeks, those eight weeks cost the same as four at full price. That saves four weeks’ rent, or about 7.7% of a year, whatever the rate. On the Which? one bed range of roughly £37 to £53 a week, you’d save about £148 to £212 over the year, and your weekly bill would double from week nine.

We run introductory offers too. Whoever you book with, us included, ask what you’ll pay once the offer ends.

Questions to Ask Any Provider

Store and Insure warns that an enticing rate for the first few months can be followed by a price rise. Before you book, ask:

1. What will my weekly rate be once the offer ends?
2. Can the rate rise while I’m storing, how often, and with how much notice?
3. How am I billed, and is it in advance?
4. How much notice do I need to give when I want to leave?
5. What’s included: VAT, insurance, a lock, access hours?

The Costs on Top of the Weekly Rate

Insurance is usually the biggest ongoing extra. On a small space it can come close to doubling the weekly bill, so price the whole package from the start.

• Insurance: Which? says it isn’t a legal requirement, but a provider can refuse your business without it. Access charges from £5.77 a week for £4,000 of cover and Big Yellow from £6.25 a week. Check whether your home contents policy already covers belongings kept away from home.
• Locks and fees: Shurgard charges £14.90 for a lock if yours doesn’t fit, plus a one-off £20 admin fee. Deposit policies vary, so ask.
• Packing materials: Which? found boxes bought on site are generally far more expensive than those bought elsewhere, so buy ahead.

Getting Your Belongings There and Back

Most price guides leave this out. With traditional self storage, you move everything in yourself and move it all out again at the end.

• Van hire: Nationwide Hire lists a Ford Luton for one day at £296.01 plus VAT at full price, less with discounts. Moving in and out means two hires.
• Congestion Charge: £18 a day if you drive in the zone during charging hours.
• ULEZ: £12.50 a day for vans up to 3.5 tonnes that don’t meet the standards. Check the hire van before you book.
• Fuel and parking: fuel for both trips, plus parking at each end. Some councils now charge by emissions, and Westminster sets on-street parking prices by vehicle CO2.
• Your time: loading, driving, unloading and returning the van, twice.

A storage quote usually covers storage only. Big Yellow says its quote doesn’t include removals, and where a traditional operator offers collection, it’s an extra.

Traditional Self Storage vs Collection and Delivery

Traditional self storage is a space you rent, load and visit yourself. Collection and delivery comes to your door, stores your belongings and brings them back when you ask. Comparing the two on weekly rate alone misses most of the cost.

Collection and delivery services price in different ways. Some charge per box each month, others by the space your belongings take. Whichever you look at, ask whether VAT, return delivery and insurance are included. Our original comparison chart is on the JamStorage storage page, and this is the fuller version.

What Comes Back and When

You don’t have to take everything back at once when using our service. Ask for that armchair, that mattress or a particular box, and we’ll bring it round. Boxes come back whole, so it pays to label well and keep each box to one theme. Redelivery takes a few days, which suits a spare bed or the camping gear you need a couple of times a year.

Adding Up Your Own Total

On the traditional side, add the weekly rate after any offer, insurance, a lock and any fee, van hire in and out, fuel, any Congestion Charge or ULEZ, parking and your time. Then get an instant quote from us and put the two side by side.

If you’re storing between homes, our page on house move storage covers how collection fits around the move, and our guide to moving house in London with storage weighs storage against paying for a bigger place.

How Much Space Do You Need?

Paying for space you don’t use is one of the easiest ways to overspend, so work out your size before comparing prices. Our guide to what size storage you need has typical sizes for each home, and the storage space calculator works out a figure for your own belongings.

Getting a Price for Your Own Move

Ranges are a guide, but only a quote reflects your belongings, your area and how long you need. Our instant quote takes a couple of minutes, or call us on 0208 166 1665.

We’re a Which? Trusted Trader. Whether you’re moving, renovating or making room, there’s no van to hire, nothing to lift and no car needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Is a Storage Unit per Month in London?

Around £160 to £230 or more a month for 40 sq ft and £400 to £600 or more for 150 sq ft, according to Which?. Central London sits at the top of the range.

How Much Does Storage Cost per Week?

In London, a 40 sq ft space works out at roughly £37 to £53 a week on the Which? range. Most operators quote weekly, so it’s the easiest figure to compare.

How Much Is Storage for a One Bedroom Flat in London?

Which? sizes the furniture from a one bedroom flat at about 40 sq ft, at around £160 to £230 or more a month in London. Add your boxes and the space goes up, so our one bed flat guide is worth a look before you compare prices.

Why Is Storage More Expensive in London?

Industry figures reported by Which? put London at nearly £45 per sq ft against a UK average of £29.13, with the West Midlands and Wales just over £20. These are industry averages, not a rate you’d be quoted.

What Is the Lowest Price for Self Storage in London?

The lowest headline prices are usually introductory offers or small lockers. A low price for the first few weeks tells you little about the year, so compare the rate after the offer, plus insurance and any fees.

Do Storage Prices Go Up After the Introductory Offer?

Yes. The weekly bill can double when a 50% offer ends, and rates can rise again during your stay. Ask how often it can change and how much notice you’ll get.

How Much Does Storage Cost for Two Weeks?

Some traditional operators take short stays, though offers may not apply. Big Yellow’s opening offer, for example, needs a minimum stay of 14 days. JamStorage is designed for customers who need storage for at least a few weeks. If you’re only looking for a very short-term option, our service may not be the right fit, but we’re always happy to have a conversation, so give us a call.

How Much Does Long-Term Storage Cost?

Usually less per week than a short stay, because operators reward a longer contract. Rates can still rise, so check what you’re paying every six months or so. Our guide on whether self storage is worth it looks at the bigger picture.

Is Storage Insurance Extra?

Usually, yes, and many traditional providers won’t take you without it. Your home contents policy may already cover belongings kept elsewhere. With JamStorage, insurance is available covering collection, storage and return.

The post How Much Does Storage Cost in London? Self Storage Prices by Size appeared first on Jam Storage.

We look after other people’s belongings for a living, and we’d still rather you didn’t pay for something you don’t need. Here’s how to tell which side you’re on.

When Storage Is Worth It

Something’s Changing

Most storage starts with a life event:

• You’re moving and the dates don’t line up.
• The back bedroom has to be empty before the builders arrive.
• You’re moving in together, and there are two sofas and one living room.
• You’re heading abroad for a year and giving up the tenancy makes sense.
• Someone has passed away, and the house needs clearing before anyone’s ready to decide what to keep.

They all share the same shape. There’s a reason, there’s roughly a date, and the things are coming back. That’s the strongest case for storage there is.

There’s Simply No Room

The second case has no event and no end date, and that’s fine too.

In a London flat with no loft, garage or spare room, some belongings are in the way for most of the year. The skis, the camping gear, the Christmas decorations, the spare mattress for when family stay, the armchair you’re not ready to part with. None of it needs to be in the hallway in June. Storing it gives you back floor space you’re already paying a lot for.

When It Isn’t Worth It

Storage stops being good value when nobody knows when the things are coming back, or when anyone will next look at them.

It’s an easy pattern to fall into. Something goes in for a good reason, the reason passes, and the payments carry on because cancelling means sorting through it all. We all hang on to things. A British Heart Foundation survey found 84% of people have unused items at home that could be donated, and that we keep them for 17 months on average before letting go.

So ask yourself two questions. When is this coming back? And if you’re not sure, when will you next go through it? If neither has an answer, a clear-out may help more than storage. Our guide to decluttering and making space at home is a good place to start, and you can always store what’s left afterwards.

Working It Out for Yourself

Three questions settle most cases, and you won’t need a spreadsheet.

What would it cost to replace? Not what you paid, but what you’d pay now. A double mattress, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a sofa and fifteen boxes of household things soon adds up to four figures.

How long will you really need it? Go with the realistic answer, not the best case. A four month renovation is rarely four months.

What’s the alternative? Usually it’s a bigger place to keep everything in, or selling up now and buying again later.

Say you’re having a loft conversion in Ealing and the top floor has to be cleared for four months. Without storage, you’d sell or skip a bedroom’s worth of furniture and buy it again afterwards. Four months of storage is almost always the smaller number. That’s a clear yes.

Now take away the building work. You’d just like the spare room back, and you’d rather not decide what stays. The items and the cost are the same, but there’s nothing at the end of it. That’s a much weaker yes, and sometimes a no.

Our storage space calculator shows how much space your things would take, which makes the sums easier.

Storage or a Bigger Flat?

London homes are small. The median flat in England and Wales is 43 square metres, which the ONS describes as barely the size of four parking spaces, against 99 square metres for the median house.

So for many households the real choice is storage or a bigger home. An extra bedroom in London adds tens of thousands of pounds to a purchase, or a sizeable sum to the rent every month. Storing the handful of things that don’t fit almost always costs far less.

It comes down to how often you need the space. If you’d use that extra room every day, pay for the room. If what you’re short of is somewhere to put a mattress and the Christmas decorations for ten months of the year, storage is the more affordable answer.

No Car? No Problem

For a lot of Londoners, storage falls at the first hurdle. The usual picture is a hire van, a trip across town and a Saturday carrying a wardrobe down two flights of stairs. If you don’t drive, that rules it out.

We work differently. Our team collects from your door with a free van, does the loading and brings your belongings back when you ask. You don’t need a car, a licence or a friend with a Transit. Need the armchair or a particular box? Let us know and it’ll be with you in a few days.

The Worries People Raise

“Will the price go up?” With a lot of traditional self storage, it does. Introductory offers end, and extras like insurance are often charged on top. Whoever you book with, ask what the rate becomes after any offer, what notice you’d need to give and what’s included. Our guide to London storage costs goes through it in more detail.

“Will I pay more than my things are worth?” Sometimes you would, and that’s what the three questions above are for. If storing it costs more than replacing it, don’t store it. We’d rather tell you that now than take the booking.

“Will my things be looked after?” Damp and mould come from moisture and poor ventilation, so garages, outdoor containers and belongings packed while still damp are where problems start. With us, everything is collected, logged on an inventory and kept in sealed Jam Pods in a secure building under CCTV. We’re also a Which? Trusted Trader, which means we’ve been independently checked.

Making the Decision

If there’s a reason and a rough date, storage is worth it. If it’s bulky or seasonal things in a home with no room for them, it’s worth it too. If there’s no reason and no plan yet, sort through things first and store what’s left. You’ll have a smaller bill and a clearer home.

If the answer is yes, get an instant quote and we’ll take it from there. JamStorage is designed for customers who need storage for at least a few weeks. If you’re only looking for a very short-term option, our service may not be the right fit, but we’re always happy to have a conversation. Call us on 0208 166 1665.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Self Storage Worth It for a Few Months?

Usually, yes. A few months is often exactly what a move, a renovation or a gap between homes needs, and those are the best reasons to store. The length matters less than knowing what happens at the end.

Do I Need Insurance for Self Storage?

It’s worth having. Storage isn’t automatically insured, and home contents policies don’t always cover belongings kept away from home, so check yours before you book. With us, insurance is available covering collection, storage and return.

The post Is Self Storage Worth It? An Honest Answer appeared first on Jam Storage.

Which? puts a three bed house at about 150 sq ft and gives no figure for a four bed, so we won’t invent one either. Our presets allow for the whole home, boxes included. Once a pod is sealed nobody needs to get into it, so we load it tight, and your bill follows the space your things actually take.

What Fits in a 4 Bed House

A typical four bed house holds something like this:

• Four bedrooms: beds and mattresses, wardrobes, chests of drawers and bedside tables
• The living room: a sofa, armchairs, a coffee table, a TV and bookshelves
• The dining room: a table and chairs, often a sideboard
• The kitchen: crockery, pans and small appliances in boxes, plus a fridge freezer or washing machine if they’re going too
• The loft, garage and garden: boxes nobody has opened since the last move, camping gear, skis, Christmas decorations and garden furniture

The loft, garage and garden are the big variables. Two houses with the same number of bedrooms can need very different amounts of space once you add what’s in the roof and the shed. Furniture takes more room than boxes, because boxes stack and a wardrobe doesn’t. Spare rooms full of furniture push the number up, and so does a houseful of books.

Packing a Big House Into Less Space

We pack tightly, and a bit of prep on your side helps us fit more into less:

• Dismantle what you can. Take the beds and wardrobes apart, and bag and label the fixings. A flat-packed frame stacks where an assembled one can’t.
• Stand flat items on their sides. Four mattresses, the dining tabletop and the headboards all take far less floor space upright.
• Use the height. Boxes of the same size stack higher and more safely, so decant the loft into matching boxes if you can.

How We Collect and Store a 4 Bed House

We collect from your door with a free van and a loading service, so nobody on your side carries four bedrooms down the stairs. With traditional self storage you’d hire a van, pay for fuel and perhaps the Congestion Charge. We do the loading, complete an inventory and keep everything in sealed Jam Pods under CCTV.

Parking is rarely complicated, as our team comes in a small van. Later on, you can have a single box or a wardrobe brought back without disturbing the rest, with a few days’ notice.

Storing Part of the House

You don’t have to store the whole house. Partial storage is a normal booking, and you choose how much goes and for how long. You can add to it later by booking another collection.

Plenty of families store just the garage, just the loft or just the spare rooms. A loft or garage can hold years of belongings and add damp into the mix, so clearing it frees the space without a decision about each box. Spare rooms tend to gather furniture nobody uses daily, and storing it hands you a study or a nursery without forcing a decision. If the house is also having building work, our three bed house guide covers that in more detail.

Downsizing From a Family House

Moving from a four or five bed house to somewhere smaller means deciding what comes with you, and that’s hard to do against a completion date. The English Housing Survey found that 58% of people aged 65 or over in England, around 4.3 million households, are under-occupying their home. Plenty of them are weighing up the same choice.

Storage lets you move first and decide later. The dining table you’ve had for 30 years, or your mother’s chest of drawers, can sit safely until you know whether they suit the new place. There’s no deadline to decide what stays.

Clearing a Parent’s Home

If you’re clearing a parent’s home after a bereavement, there’s no need to rush. Storage gives you time to sort through things at your own pace, and lets the family go through them together when everyone’s ready. We do the loading, which takes some of the physical work and some of the weight off.

Many people worry about letting go of something that turns out to matter. Some families give other relatives the chance to look round before anything’s cleared. If questions about the estate come up, talk to the executor or a solicitor, and the GOV.UK guidance on applying for probate explains who can apply and what happens next.

The same unhurried approach helps in a separation, or after a flood or fire while the house is repaired.

Four Bed Houses in London

382,687 London households live in a four bed home, 11.2% of the total, and around 9 in 10 four beds are houses rather than flats. Houses are more common in Outer London, so a four bed in Bromley or Harrow is likely to come with more garage and garden than one in Islington. That’s worth remembering when you size up the outbuildings, because they’re often where the number jumps.

What About a 5+ Bed House?

For a house with five or more bedrooms, our preset is 245 sq ft. These homes are less common in London, with 172,307 households, 5.0% of the total, living in one.

Households this size often store in phases. You might start with the loft, then clear a floor at a time, and add more with another collection when you’re ready.

Work Out Your Own Number

Add your rooms, loft and garage to our storage space calculator, then get an instant quote or call us on 0208 166 1665. If you’re storing a smaller home’s worth, our two bed flat guide or three bed house guide will be a closer fit.

We’re a Which? Trusted Trader, with more than 15 years of moving London family homes behind us as JamVans. Take your time deciding what stays and what goes. We’ll look after everything until you have.

Common Questions

How Many Boxes Does a 4 Bed House Need?

Roughly 65 to 150, depending on how much is in the loft and garage. Smaller, themed boxes are easier to lift. Because we bring belongings back box by box, packing winter clothes, kitchen extras and Christmas decorations separately means you can ask for exactly the one you need. Our Box Shop sells boxes and packing materials, and you don’t need to book storage to buy them.

Can You Store My Garage and Garden Contents?

Mostly, yes. Garden furniture, garden tools, camping gear and skis are all fine. We can’t take anything petrol powered or containing oil, such as a petrol mower or strimmer, because it can leak and the smell spreads. Take the batteries out of cordless tools, and leave barbecue gas bottles behind. Clean and dry garden furniture before collection.

The post How Much Storage Do I Need for a 4 Bed House in London? appeared first on Jam Storage.

Which? puts the contents of a three bedroom house at about 150 sq ft, so you’ll see similar figures elsewhere. You’ll never need to walk into your storage, so we don’t leave room for you to, and the pods are packed tight. You’re charged for the space your belongings take, which matters with a house this size, because plenty of London households only store part of it.

What Fits in 140 Sq Ft

Census 2021 counted 750,582 London households in three bed houses, 21.9% of the total. They’re more common in Outer London, where 24.2% of households live in terraced houses and 27.3% in semi-detached ones, against 17.1% and 6.1% in Inner London. A typical one holds something like this:

• Three or four beds and mattresses
• Two wardrobes and a couple of chests of drawers
• A large sofa and an armchair
• Dining table and chairs
• Two TV’s, a TV unit, bedside tables and a bookcase
• Washing machine and fridge freezer, if they’re going
• Garden furniture
• Around 50 to 65 moving boxes

The loft, garage, shed and garden are what push the number up. Years of Christmas decorations, camping gear, outgrown children’s things and garden furniture fill space quickly, and a full loft or garage can take you well past 65 boxes. A corner sofa or a solid wardrobe adds more again. You’ll need less if only part of the house is going.

Three Ways to Fit a Family House Into Less Space

A little prep before collection day helps us pack more into less:

• Take the beds apart. With three or four frames, plus perhaps a cot or bunk beds, the fixings soon get muddled. Bag each set and tape it to its own frame.
• Stand flat things on their sides. Mattresses, headboards, the dining tabletop and the garden table all take a fraction of the floor space upright.
• Use the height. Boxes of one or two sizes stack higher and more safely than a mix of shapes, which counts when the loft brings a stack of its own.

How We Collect and Store a 3 Bed House

We collect from your door with a free van and a loading service, so our team carries the wardrobes down the stairs, not you. We log every box and piece of furniture as it’s loaded, and it all goes into sealed Jam Pods under CCTV.

Store the whole house or just part of it. If you need to clear another room later, book another collection and we’ll add it to what’s already stored. Anything can come back on its own, whether that’s one box or the dining table, with a few days’ notice.

Our vans are small, so on most London streets, terraced rows included, parking on collection day is rarely complicated.

Storing Part of a 3 Bed House

Plenty of three bed households never store the whole house. They clear a floor, the loft or a single room while something changes, then bring it all back when it’s done.

Building Work and Loft Conversions

If you’re clearing one floor ahead of building work or emptying the loft before a conversion, plan around the length of the job. GreenMatch puts a Velux conversion at 4 to 6 weeks, a dormer at 6 to 8, a hip to gable at 8 to 10 and a mansard at 10 to 12 weeks or more. A kitchen refit is a smaller job, but the dining table, chairs and boxed kitchenware still need somewhere to go.

Clear the rooms rather than covering furniture where it stands. Builders’ dust works its way into upholstery and drawers, and it can keep coming off furnishings for months after the work is finished. Anything left in a work zone also risks spills, stains and scrapes. And builders work faster in empty rooms.

Staging the House for Sale

Clearing the bulky furniture before you list makes rooms look bigger in photos and on viewings. The spare armchair, the extra bed and the boxes from the loft can all come out while the house is on the market.

Then there’s the wait. Rightmove reported in 2026 that London homes take an average of 174 days from agreed sale to completion, the longest of any region. Your belongings can stay with us through all of it, and our page on house move storage explains how the move itself works.

A Spare Room Changing Use

A new baby or a switch to working from home can turn the spare room into a nursery or an office almost overnight. The spare bed, its mattress and the wardrobe come out, and the room gets a fresh start. If the box room goes the same way a year later, book another collection and add it to what you’ve already got with us.

Work Out Your Own Number

Walk the house room by room, loft and garage included, and add what’s going to our storage space calculator. Then get an instant quote or call us on 0208 166 1665. Only storing a floor or a couple of rooms? Our two bed flat guide may be a closer fit, and if there’s a fourth bedroom, our four bed house guide covers the bigger load.

We’re a Which? Trusted Trader, and we grew out of JamVans, which has been moving London homes for more than 15 years. One floor or the whole house, we’ll look after it until you’re ready for it back.

Common Questions

Is 100 Sq Ft Enough for a 3 Bed House?

Usually only if some of it stays behind, such as the loft and garage contents, or if you’re storing the furniture while most of the boxes go with you. A fully furnished three bed with a busy loft will normally need more. Adding your own list to the calculator is the quickest way to check.

What If the Building Work Overruns?

Then your belongings simply stay with us a little longer. Tell us when the rooms are ready and we’ll bring everything back. If one floor will be finished weeks before the other, we can return it in two stages.

Can You Take Everything From the Shed and Garage?

Most of it. Garden furniture, garden tools, camping gear and seasonal kit are all fine. Anything petrol powered or containing oil, like a lawnmower or strimmer, has to stay behind, because it can leak and leave a smell. Take the batteries out of anything cordless, and leave the BBQ gas bottle and any live plants at home. If you’re unsure about something, ask us before collection day.

How Should I Pack the Loft?

In smaller, themed boxes. We bring belongings back box by box, so one box for Christmas decorations, one for outgrown baby clothes and one for old paperwork means you can ask for exactly the one you want. Label each box on more than one side. You can pick up boxes and tape from our Box Shop.

The post How Much Storage Do I Need for a 3 Bed House in London? appeared first on Jam Storage.

Which? doesn’t give a two bed figure, but it puts a one bed flat at about 40 sq ft and a three bed house at about 150, and based on what we see, a 2 bed flat sits between the two. It allows for the whole flat, boxes included. Nobody needs to get into a Jam Pod once it’s sealed, so our team can pack each one tight with no aisle down the middle, and you’re only charged for the space your belongings take up.

What Fits in 105 Sq Ft

A typical two bed flat looks something like this:

• Two beds and mattresses
• Sofa and an armchair
• Wardrobe and two chests of drawers
• Dining table and four chairs
• TV, TV stand, a desk and a couple of bedside tables
• 30 to 40 moving boxes

A corner sofa, a king-size bed or a houseful of books will push that up, and so will appliances if the washing machine and fridge freezer are coming too. Storing just the spare room, or selling the second sofa before you book, brings it down. Every flat is different, so it’s worth putting your own list through our storage calculator.

Getting a Two Bed Into Less Space

A bit of prep makes a two bed go a lot further:

• Dismantle what you can. Two bed frames, a desk and a dining table all come apart, and in a two bed that’s the biggest saving. Bag and label the fixings for each one.
• Stand flat items on their sides. Both mattresses, the headboards and the tabletop take far less floor space upright.
• Use the height. Stick to one or two box sizes so they stack high and steady.

How We Collect and Store a Two Bed Flat

A free van comes to your door and loading is included, so you don’t hire anything or carry anything. Each piece is logged on an inventory as it goes on the van, then kept in a sealed Jam Pod under CCTV.

You decide how much goes and for how long. Store the whole flat between tenancies, or just the spare room’s furniture, and book another collection later if more needs to go. Need something back? Ask for that box or that armchair, and give us a few days’ notice to bring it round.

London’s Most Common Home

2 bed flats are London’s most common home, 835,662 households or 24.4% of the total at the 2021 Census. Two bedrooms is also the most common size among London’s private renters, at 37.6%. If you’re in one, you’re in good company, and most of your neighbours are short on cupboards too.

Clearing the Spare Room

Turning the second bedroom into a study, a nursery or a room for a lodger usually means moving out a bed and mattress, a chest of drawers and perhaps a desk. That’s a small share of the whole flat, and it’s a good fit for part storage. You keep the rest of your home as it is, and the room is clear on the day you need it.

Two Flats Becoming One

Moving in together usually means two of everything: two sofas, two beds, two sets of pans. There were 3.5 million cohabiting couple families in the UK in 2024, up from 3.1 million a decade earlier. That’s a lot of households doing the same sum.

A two bed rarely has room for both households’ furniture, and deciding what stays can take longer than the move. Start with condition and fit rather than whose it was first. The second sofa, the spare mattress and the duplicate kitchen things can go into storage while you decide.

Then live in the space for a few months. You’ll find out what you actually miss, and you can ask for those pieces back. Nobody can publish a size for this, because it depends on what you both bring, so the calculator is the quickest way to get your own number.

Seasonal Kit With No Loft to Hide It In

Skis, camping gear, Christmas decorations and spare duvets are bulky, and you use them for a few weeks a year. In a flat there’s nowhere to put them, so they end up on top of the wardrobe or under the bed.

A handful of labelled boxes and a ski bag often covers it. Pack into several smaller, themed boxes rather than a few big mixed ones, because we bring belongings back box by box. When you want the Christmas decorations, ask for that box.

What London Flats Mean for Storage

Around three in four Inner London households live in a flat, according to Census 2021 accommodation type data. That usually means no loft, garage or cellar for the overflow, and built-in cupboards don’t make up for it. The national space standard asks for just 2 square metres of built-in storage in a new two bed home, about 21 sq ft.

Stairs matter too. Many London flats sit up several flights with no lift, and our loading service is included, so you don’t carry anything down yourself. Collections are rarely held up by parking either, because we arrive in a small van.

Rooms are small. The national minimum for a new two bed, three person flat is 61 square metres, about 657 sq ft, for everything. If you’re moving somewhere smaller, measure the doorways, the stairwell and the turn at the landing before you decide to keep a big wardrobe or sofa. If it won’t fit comfortably, storing it may be simpler than squeezing it in. Our page on house move storage explains how that works around a move.

Common Questions

Is 80 Sq Ft Enough for a 2 Bed Flat?

It can be, if one bedroom’s worth is staying put or most of the boxes are going with you. A fully furnished two bed with 30 or more boxes will normally need more.

Where Can I Get Boxes?

Our Box Shop sells moving boxes and packing materials, and you don’t need to book storage to buy them.

Work Out Your Own Number

Run your own list through our storage space calculator, then get an instant quote or call us on 0208 166 1665. Smaller place? Our one bed flat guide [INTERNAL LINK: 1 bed flat guide] will be a closer fit, and our three bed house guide [INTERNAL LINK: 3 bed house guide] covers a bigger home.

We’re a Which? Trusted Trader, and our team has spent more than 15 years carrying furniture up and down London’s stairwells. When you want your things back, we’ll bring them to your door.

The post How Much Storage Do I Need for a 2 Bed Flat in London? appeared first on Jam Storage.

You’ll see bigger numbers elsewhere. Self storage guides usually quote 35 to 65 sq ft, and Which? puts the furniture from a one bedroom flat at about 40 sq ft before you add any boxes. Those figures assume you’re packing a unit yourself and leaving room to walk in and reach things. You never need to get at your belongings with JamStorage, our team packs them into sealed Jam Pods far more compactly, and you only pay for the space you use.

What Fits in 35 Sq Ft

A typical one bed flat looks something like this:

• Double bed frame and mattress
• Sofa
• Wardrobe and a chest of drawers
• Small dining table and two chairs
• TV and TV unit
• Bedside table
• Desk
• 20 to 30 moving boxes

You’ll need more space if you’re storing a washing machine or fridge freezer, a corner sofa, or a lot of books, kitchenware and clothes. You’ll need less if you’re only storing part of the flat, say the furniture while you move into a furnished place, or if you sell the bulky pieces first. Your own list will never match a preset exactly, so it’s worth adding what you actually own to the calculator. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Three Ways to Make It Take Less Space

We pack tightly, and a little prep on your side helps us fit more into less:

• Dismantle what you can. Take the bed frame and dining table apart, and bag and label the fixings.
• Stand flat items on their sides. Mattresses, tabletops and headboards take far less floor space upright.
• Use the height. Boxes of the same size stack higher and more safely than a mix of shapes.

How We Collect and Store a One Bed Flat

We collect from your door with a free van and a loading service, so there’s no van hire, no lifting and no car needed. Everything goes on an inventory as it’s loaded, then stays in sealed Jam Pods under CCTV until you want it back.

You can store the whole flat while you’re between homes, or just the things crowding you out day to day: a spare bed, an armchair, the skis. When you want something back, ask for that box or that piece of furniture and we’ll deliver it. Redelivery takes a few days, so the service suits belongings you won’t need at short notice.

Parking is rarely complicated either. Our team arrives in a small van, so collection day feels closer to a supermarket delivery than a house move.

Store Less, Pay Less

One in five London households lives in a one bed flat, 698,826 at the 2021 Census, and most are short on cupboards. The government’s space standard asks a new one bed, two person home for just 1.5 m² of built-in storage, about 16 sq ft, and older flats don’t have to meet it at all.

So before you count boxes, decide what’s staying, what’s going into storage and what’s going for good:

• Keep at home: anything you use daily or weekly, plus important things such as passports, paperwork and valuables.
• Sell: bulky furniture that won’t fit your next place or is easy to replace, and appliances you never use.
• Donate: duplicate kitchenware, and clothes in good condition that you no longer wear.
• Store: a spare bed, seasonal kit, sentimental items and furniture you’ll want in a bigger home later.

If you’re torn, ask yourself whether you’ve used it in the last year and whether it’ll suit your next home. And if you love the flat but not the clutter, storing the spare bed and the camping gear can work out far more affordable than paying rent for a second bedroom.

Why People Store a One Bed Flat

Most people store a one bed flat because something’s changing.

Between tenancies. When one tenancy ends before the next begins, you can store the whole flat for the gap, or just the furniture if your next place is furnished or a house share. Our page on house move storage explains how it works.

Moving in with a partner. Two flats’ worth of furniture rarely fits into one home. Once you’ve agreed which sofa and bed stay, you can sell the duplicates or keep the better pieces for somewhere bigger.

Moving abroad. For a posting of a year or two, storing the lot means you come home to your own furniture. For a permanent move, many people sell the bulky pieces and store the sentimental things and a few boxes.

Buying your first home. Completion dates slip. Your belongings can wait with us until you get the keys, which also gives you time to decide what fits if you’re buying somewhere smaller. Our guide to moving house in London with storage covers this in more detail.

And if storage has come up because of a bereavement, a separation or damage to your home, we’ll keep things simple and look after your belongings while you work out what comes next.

Common Questions We Get

Is 25 Sq Ft Enough for a 1 Bed Flat?

Usually only if you’re storing part of it, such as the furniture without most of the boxes, or what’s left after you’ve sold the bulky pieces. A fully furnished one bed with 20 or more boxes will normally need more. The calculator will tell you either way.

Should I Use Big or Small Boxes?

Mostly smaller ones. Heavy things like books and plates belong in boxes you can lift safely. And because we bring belongings back box by box, packing a few themed boxes (winter clothes, kitchen extras, Christmas decorations) means you can ask for exactly the box you need. Our Box Shop sells moving boxes and packing materials.

Can You Store My Washing Machine and Fridge?

Yes. Defrost the fridge or freezer and leave it to dry out with the door open for at least a day before collection, and drain the washing machine. If you still have the transit bolts, refit them before it goes into storage.

Work Out Your Own Number

Add your furniture and boxes to our storage space calculator, then get an instant quote or call us on 0208 166 1665. Storing a spare room’s worth too? Our guide to storing a two bed flat will be a closer fit.

We’re a Which? Trusted Trader, built on more than 15 years of moving Londoners’ belongings as JamVans. We’ll collect from your door, look after everything and bring it back when you ask.

The post How Much Storage Do I Need for a 1 Bed Flat in London? appeared first on Jam Storage.

Moving is stressful enough already. Legal & General’s research found that 57% of people rank moving house as the most stressful life event, ahead of having a child or going through a divorce. Boxes shouldn’t add to that. Whether you’re moving straight into a new home, moving between properties, or putting things into storage for a while, here’s how to get what you need without overpaying.

Free Moving Boxes: Where to Ask First

The best free sources, roughly in order of effort versus reward, are friends and neighbours who’ve just moved, supermarkets, off-licences and pubs, and workplaces. All four give boxes away regularly. Ask staff directly rather than waiting to be offered, and ask before the boxes get flattened for recycling.

Friends, family and neighbours who’ve recently moved. Start here. Someone who unpacked three weeks ago has a stack of sturdy boxes in a spare room that they’d rather not take to the tip. They’re already the right sort of box for a house move, because they’ve just survived one. Ask around, put a message in the group chat, and you’ll often clear half your list in an afternoon.

Supermarkets. Stores take multiple deliveries a day and generate a steady supply of empties, but those boxes get broken down for recycling quickly. Early in the day, or during a restocking window, is when there’s something to take. Ask a member of staff, because boxes are rarely left sitting out.

Not all supermarket boxes are flimsy. Banana boxes in particular are corrugated, built with a separate tray and a telescoping lid, and designed to move around 18kg of fruit across the world without collapsing. They stack well and grocers give them away freely. Their one weak point is a handling hole in the base, so put something flat over that before you load one up.

Off-licences and pubs. Wine and spirits arrive in boxes built to carry heavy glass bottles without failing, which makes them stronger than most free cardboard you’ll find. They’re often stapled rather than glued, which adds strength, and many come with internal dividers that are ideal for packing glassware. Check for stray staple ends before you pack anything fragile.

Pubs, bars and restaurants get through dozens of these a day. Ask a manager which day deliveries land, and whether they’d set some aside rather than flatten them. Visiting a few venues along one high street in a single trip saves a lot of time on doing them one at a time.

Workplaces and offices. Printer paper ships in sturdy, lidded boxes designed to be stacked, which suits books and documents well. If you work in an office, or know someone who does, ask whoever handles deliveries or the stationery cupboard. Schools are worth a try for the same reason.

Results vary by store, by staff member and by day. Calling ahead, or asking to have some put aside for Thursday, works far better than turning up and hoping.

Free Boxes Online: Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Gumtree and Nextdoor

Online community platforms are the other genuinely free route, and they suit people who aren’t in a rush.

On Facebook Marketplace, search for “free moving boxes” or “free boxes”, apply the Free category filter and a local pickup distance, then sort by newest. Free listings get claimed fast, so set up a saved search or an alert rather than checking once a day.

Freecycle works differently. It’s a non-profit network organised into local town groups, where members post what they’re giving away or looking for. Boxes are a natural fit, because someone finishing a move and someone starting one need opposite things at the same moment. Freegle, the UK reuse network that grew out of the same idea, now has over 3.6 million members, so there’s usually an active group near you.

Gumtree has a dedicated free listings section you can filter to your area, and it runs first come, first served.

Nextdoor is hyper-local by design, so a quick post asking your street for spare boxes can turn up a pile two doors down.

Most people posting free boxes have just moved themselves, so the cardboard tends to be recently used and still in decent shape.

Sizes and quantities are inconsistent, though. Listings appear when they appear, and gathering enough boxes for a whole house can take several days of checking back rather than one trip. Inspect anything you collect for tears and damp before you rely on it.

Big Retailers and Local Shops Worth Trying

Beyond supermarkets, any shop taking regular deliveries is worth an ask. Coffee shops, bookshops, stationers, chemists, discount stores and print shops all get through cardboard constantly. DIY chains and garden centres are a good bet too, because their boxes are built to carry paint, tiles and flat-pack furniture. Do check garden centre boxes for damp or soil residue, which weakens the board.

Two things make the ask work. Be specific, so “do you have any medium boxes, I’d need about fifteen” beats “got any boxes going spare”. And pick a quiet time, not the middle of a lunchtime rush.

There’s a decent environmental case for all of this too. UK paper and cardboard packaging reached a 74.3% recycling rate in 2024 according to Defra, which is strong, but recycling a box still costs energy. Using one twice before it gets there costs nothing.

When Free Boxes Are Not the Right Fit

Free boxes are worth trying first. They do have limits.

Sizes end up inconsistent across a whole house, which makes stacking and loading a van harder than it needs to be. There often aren’t enough matching boxes, so you end up with twelve good ones and a gap. Boxes that have already done one move have less left in them for a second, particularly once they’re loaded and stacked. And some people simply don’t have three or four days to spend ringing round shops and refreshing Marketplace.

For scale, English households binned 5.6 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, with only 3.2 million tonnes of it reaching recycling bins. There is plenty of cardboard out there. Getting hold of the right 60 pieces of it, in the right sizes, in the week you actually need them, is the hard part.

Buying Moving Boxes When You Need Consistency or Speed

Buying makes sense in three situations: you need a uniform set for an entire house, you need a specific box type that rarely turns up free, or you just don’t have time to hunt.

That second one catches people out. Wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail, TV boxes and lidded archive boxes are hard to find secondhand, and they’re the ones that save you time at both ends of the move.

There are plenty of good places to buy. General retailers, specialist packaging suppliers and used-box resellers all do a solid job, and a reseller is worth a look if you want the middle ground between free and new. JamStorage’s Box Shop is simply another straightforward option. It covers boxes, kits, tape, packing materials and protective covers in one place, it delivers nationally rather than just around London, and you don’t need to book any storage to order from it. That’s useful if you’d rather not spend the week ringing off-licences.

What a Full Set of New Moving Boxes Actually Costs

Here’s what a set costs, using JamStorage’s current prices as a worked example.

Single boxes are the most expensive way to buy. A Medium Moving Box is £3.50 and a Large Moving Box is £4.50. Buy ten at a time and the per-box price drops: 10 medium boxes are £27.99, down from £35.00, which works out at £2.80 each. Ten large boxes are £34.99, down from £45.00, or £3.50 each.

Kits drop it further and bundle in the tape and protective materials you’d otherwise buy separately:

• The Value Pack, £48.99, reduced from £58.99
• The Mover Kit, £61.99, reduced from £69.99
• The Fully Loaded, £99.99, reduced from £114.99

Set that against a real move. Estimates vary, but a three-bedroom UK home is usually put somewhere in the region of 50 to 85 boxes, and a one or two-bed nearer 20 to 30. Even at the lower end, the gap between buying loose boxes and buying a kit adds up quickly. Prices are current at the time of writing, so do check the shop before you order.

Part of your move might be going into storage rather than straight to a new address, and around 40% of domestic self storage customers are in the middle of a house move. Consistent box sizes matter even more then. Things come back to you the way they went in, box by box, so packing into several smaller labelled boxes rather than a few enormous ones means you can request exactly the box you want back later.

Once you’ve got your boxes, our guide on how to pack for storage covers how to fill them so nothing gets crushed on the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Cheapest Place to Get Moving Boxes?

Free sources cost nothing: friends who’ve just moved, supermarkets, off-licences and pubs, workplaces, and local Facebook, Freecycle, Gumtree or Nextdoor groups. They trade money for time and inconsistent sizes. If you need guaranteed availability, discounted bulk packs and kits give you the lowest price per box.

Where Can I Get Free Moving Boxes Near Me?

Start with anyone you know who has moved in the last month or two. Then ask staff at your local supermarket, off-licence, pub and any office you have access to, ideally around delivery times. Online, check Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Gumtree and Nextdoor for local listings.

Are Supermarket Boxes Strong Enough for a House Move?

Often, yes. “Supermarket boxes” is too broad a category to write off. Boxes built for light stock like crisps or cereal are genuinely thin, but banana boxes and boxes from off-licences carrying bottled drinks are built to carry real weight and hold up well. The bigger limitation with free boxes is consistency of size and having enough matching ones for a whole house.

Is It Better to Get Free Boxes or Buy a Set?

Try free first, it costs nothing and often gets you most of the way there. Buying makes sense when time is short, when you need consistent sizes across a whole move, or when you need specific types like wardrobe, TV or archive boxes that rarely turn up secondhand. Most people end up doing a bit of both.

The post Where to Get Cheap Moving Boxes for Your House Move appeared first on Jam Storage.

We collect from your door and return your belongings when you ask, so the choices you make while taping up boxes at home are the ones that count later. This guide covers box sizes, weights, fragile items, furniture, paperwork and a labelling habit that takes seconds per box.

Why How You Pack Affects What You Can Get Back Later

Packing for storage with a collection and delivery service means packing at home, into boxes that get collected, stored and returned whole. You never go anywhere yourself. Whatever we collect as one thing, a box, a chair, a bed, is what comes back when you ask for it.

We don’t open boxes to take one thing out. That would mean our team going through other people’s belongings to find yours. So when you need something, you request that box back and it arrives exactly as you sealed it. Anything that isn’t in a box, furniture and beds included, is individual by nature and comes back on its own.

So what goes in with what matters. Put a winter coat in with the Christmas decorations and the spare curtains, and getting that coat in October means having the whole box back. Put it in with the rest of your winter clothes and you get exactly what you wanted.

Domestic customers now account for 76% of UK self storage use, according to the Self Storage Association UK’s 2026 annual industry report, and a lack of room at home is the most common reason people store. If you want the wider picture on how collection and delivery works first, our storage services page covers it.

Pack in Smaller, Themed Boxes, Not a Few Big Ones

The best way to pack for storage is in several smaller boxes grouped by theme, rather than a few large mixed ones. Keep books with books, winter clothes with winter clothes, kitchen things with kitchen things. Then you can request one themed box back without everything unrelated coming with it.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Seasonal things. Skis in one box, Christmas decorations in another. The Christmas box comes back in early December and goes away again in January, and nothing else has to move.
  
• A house move, by room. Kitchen, bathroom, spare room. If you land in temporary accommodation and need your kitchen things sooner than the rest, that’s one box back rather than a full delivery.
  
• A house clearance or sorting an estate. Photographs and paperwork in one box, china and glassware in another, ornaments in a third. Families often work through this over months, and category boxes let them go at their own pace.

Books and record collections show the idea nicely. Split across small, clearly labelled boxes, a collection stays usable, because you can have one box back whenever you want it. There’s more on our book and collection storage page, and our items we store page lists the other categories.

Similar sized boxes also stack more neatly and carry weight better than a jumble of odd shapes, and they’re easier to work around while you pack. Space is tight in most London homes, and the average privately rented home in England has 76 square metres of usable floor space, with 17% under 50 square metres, according to the English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025.

Choosing the Right Size and Type of Box

Match the box to what’s going in it. Heavy, dense things like books, records, crockery and tools belong in a medium box, because a large one filled with them gets too heavy to lift safely. Bulky but light things like bedding, cushions and coats are what large boxes are for. Starting from scratch? The mover kit bundles boxes, tape and protection together, and the full range sits in our box shop.

Cardboard or plastic? For most household belongings, sturdy cardboard is the sensible default. It’s lighter to carry, easier to write on directly and stacks well once taped. Sealed plastic boxes earn their place for damp sensitive things like photographs, documents and textiles going away for a long time. Both work, so don’t agonise. What counts more is that everything goes in completely dry.

How heavy is too heavy? Aim for roughly 15 to 18kg per packed box. The HSE’s manual handling guidance gives guideline figures of 25kg for men and 16kg for women for a load held close to the body in good conditions. Those aren’t legal limits, and they drop sharply once you’re bending, twisting or carrying awkwardly. Handling, lifting or carrying caused 17% of all non-fatal workplace injuries in Great Britain in 2024/25. Our team does the lifting on the day, but you’re the one filling the boxes first.

Packing Fragile and Electrical Items Safely

Fragile items need three things: individual wrapping, a cushioned base and no empty space. Wrap each one on its own in bubble wrap or packing paper so nothing touches anything else, line the bottom of the box, then fill every gap with packing peanuts or scrunched paper. If you can hear things move when you tilt the box, it isn’t full enough. Pack plates and glasses on their edge rather than flat, since a plate lying flat carries the weight of everything above it.

For electronics, use the original box if you still have it. It was built to that exact shape, and nothing you improvise will fit better. Take removable batteries out of remotes and cameras, since a battery left in place for months can leak. Large screens deserve a box of their own, and a 55 inch TV box is a lot safer than a duvet and good intentions.

Then mark the outside. Fragile warning tape tells whoever’s carrying the box what’s inside without anyone opening it, which matters when it’s our team lifting it rather than you.

Packing Furniture, Clothes and Bulky Items

Take apart anything that comes apart easily. Table legs, bed frames, headboards and flat pack shelving all travel better in pieces and take up far less space. Bag the screws and fittings, label the bag, then tape it to the underside of the item or keep all your hardware bags in one small labelled box. A bolt that goes missing in August is a real problem in November.

Clothes do best hanging where they can. Suits, coats and dresses go straight from the wardrobe into a wardrobe box with a hanging rail, which keeps them on their hangers and off the floor. Avoid sealing clothes into bin bags. Plastic traps moisture against fabric, and moisture over a few months means mildew and yellowing.

Mattresses should be clean and completely dry before covering, then protected with a proper mattress cover rather than a plastic sheet that can’t breathe. Guidance is split on whether a mattress is better stored flat or on its side, though flat is the more common recommendation, on the grounds that it protects the internal structure.

Drawers are useful space. Anything inside a chest of drawers comes back with it, so fill them with soft, light things you won’t need in the meantime.

Packing Documents and Paperwork

Paperwork is easy to underestimate and miserable to untangle later. Keep it together in a dedicated lidded box such as an archive box with a lid, rather than spread through general boxes.

Stand documents upright in folders rather than lying flat and loose. Upright files stay in order, are quicker to look through and don’t get crushed under their own weight. Keep categories together: warranties and manuals in one place, financial paperwork in another, property documents in a third.

If the box isn’t full, put a spacer on top so nothing slides and bends in transit. Bubble wrap works well. Avoid newspaper against paperwork, as the print can transfer.

Labelling and Keeping Track of What’s in Each Box

This is the bit most people skip and later regret, and it doesn’t need a spreadsheet or an app. 

Here’s a system that takes seconds:

1. Give every box a number and a short, specific name. “12: Winter clothes” beats “Bedroom” every time. Vague room labels stop being useful within a week.
   
2. Photograph the contents before you seal it. One phone photo of the open box, with the number visible on a label or written on the flap. Keep them in one album on your phone.
   
3. Write the number on at least two sides and the top, then seal properly with strong parcel tape so the box holds its shape.

Nobody is going to open box 12 so you can have a look inside, so the label and the photo are what tell you which box to request back. We complete an inventory when your belongings come in to us as well, so nothing gets lost track of.

Working Out How Many Boxes You’ll Need

Most people underestimate this. Walk each room, count what’s actually leaving it, and think in themes rather than in volume.

Once you’ve got a rough idea, our storage space calculator turns a list of items into an estimate of the space you’ll need, and our instant quote takes it from there.

Pack in themes, keep boxes to a weight you can lift, label them clearly. Do that, take the photos, and your belongings never really feel like they’ve disappeared. They’re just somewhere else for a while, ready whenever you want them back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Size Boxes Should I Use for Storage?

Use similar sized boxes where you can, matched to what’s going in them. Small and medium boxes suit heavy, dense items like books, records and crockery. Large boxes suit bulky but light ones like bedding, cushions and coats. A matching set stacks more safely.

Cardboard or Plastic Boxes for Storage?

Cardboard is the better default for most household belongings. It’s lighter, easier to label directly and stacks well once taped. Sealed plastic boxes are worth it for damp sensitive contents like photographs, documents and textiles. Either works, as long as everything is completely dry and the packed box stays within a sensible weight.

How Heavy Should a Packed Storage Box Be?

Keep a packed box to around 15 to 18kg, a weight one person can comfortably lift alone. The HSE’s manual handling guidance gives guideline figures of 25kg for men and 16kg for women for a load held close to the body in good conditions. Those aren’t legal limits, and they fall considerably once you’re bending, twisting or carrying up stairs.

What Shouldn’t Go in a Storage Box?

Nothing perishable, nothing damp and nothing flammable or hazardous. Food spoils and attracts pests. Damp items sealed in a box with no airflow will grow mould. Flammable liquids, aerosols, paint and gas canisters are a fire risk. If you’re unsure, give us a call on 0208 166 1665.

How Should I Label Boxes for Storage, and Does It Actually Matter?

It matters, and it’s far simpler than people expect. You don’t need a spreadsheet or an app. Number each box, give it a short specific name, and take one phone photo of the contents before you seal it. Since your belongings come back box by box, a clear label plus a photo is what tells you exactly which box to request back.

The post How to Pack for Storage: A Practical Packing Guide appeared first on Jam Storage.