Cheap Storage in Toronto

The average North American household contains more than 300,000 items – is it any wonder that from time to time, people need to store some of their possessions? There are many reasons why you may be looking for cheap storage in Toronto. You may need a space temporarily, while you work a contract job in a different city. You may have antique furniture or childhood items that have sentimental value that you don’t have space for in your current home. You may have hobbies like skiing or camping, but no room to store the equipment in the off-season. Whether you have a box of books, a bicycle, a boat, or all of these, finding affordable storage can be challenging.

The self-storage business is a 35-billion-dollar industry. Conventional companies staff and run concrete warehouses in various locations in Toronto and the GTA. Often these locations are far from where you live, and, due to overhead costs, can be very expensive. Fortunately, the rise of the sharing economy has provided another option for those of us with items to store: space sharing.

What Is Space-Sharing?

Much like Airbnb, eBay, or Uber, space-sharing is an internet-based enterprise that matches those seeking a service with those who can provide it. The premise is simple: enter your storage needs onto a space-sharing company’s website, and the company will put you in contact with a neighbour who can provide the space. Suppose you bought a motorcycle in the summer, but would like to park it for the winter months. Chances are there’s someone in your Toronto neighbourhood who has extra garage space or an unused shed that could accommodate your hog and store it safely until you’re ready to take it out on the road again.

A space-sharing company can put the two of you together and facilitate all of the arrangements. A reliable company will collect the fees through its platform  (using a secure system such as PayPal) and ensure that a legal agreement is signed by both parties. The company can also advice you about making insurance arrangements, or help you to come to mutually-agreed-upon terms for your arrangement. Some of these terms might include itemized disclosure of what will be stored, or an agreement about how you will gain access to the space. (Will you have a key of your own? Will you be required to give notice before accessing?)

And here’s another advantage: space-sharing can be up to 50% cheaper than conventional storage!

Good for Planet Earth, and for You

Space-sharing with someone in your neighbourhood is also an environmentally-friendly practice. You’ll be renting space that otherwise would not be in use, and preventing big companies from building more concrete bunkers. You’ll be using less gas to drive to your storage space, because your items will be right in your neighbourhood.

Because you’ll be storing items with a neighbour, space-sharing will not only provide you with a solution for your storage problem, but also with a more personal experience. Conventional storage facilities are large and impersonal, but space-sharing allows you to have a connection in your neighbourhood.