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Email template to ask storage facilities for unit quotes

You need somewhere to put your things for a few months or longer, and you are looking at self-storage facilities. The advertised price is almost never what you pay. The first month's promotion ends, an administrative fee is added at signing, a lock and insurance are required, and the monthly rate often rises after a few months. Asking by email for the full cost, in writing, lets you compare facilities on the same terms and gives you a record of the rate you were promised. It also lets you ask the one question that decides the long-term cost: how often, and by how much, does the rent go up.

Before you send

  • The size you need. As a rough guide, a 5-by-10-foot unit holds the contents of a studio, a 10-by-10 holds a one-bedroom, and a 10-by-15 or 10-by-20 holds a two- or three-bedroom home.
  • Whether you need climate control, which keeps the unit within a temperature and humidity range. Electronics, wood furniture, photos and anything that mildews want it; boxes of dishes do not.
  • Your move-in date and a realistic guess at how long you will rent. Say the longer number; facilities quote differently for a six-month tenant than a one-month one.
  • Whether you need ground-floor or drive-up access, which matters if you have heavy items or no help.
  • Proof of your own insurance if your renter's or homeowner's policy covers stored goods, because most facilities require coverage and will sell you theirs if you have none.
Subject Quote for a [size] storage unit starting [move-in date] 
Hi [facility name],

I'm looking for a [size, for example 10-by-10] unit, [climate-controlled / standard], [ground floor or drive-up / any floor], starting around [move-in date]. I expect to rent for about [number] months. I'm asking a few facilities in the [your area] area so I can compare.

Could you send me the full cost in writing? Specifically:

- The monthly rate for that unit size, and whether it's a promotional rate
- If it's promotional, the rate it goes to afterward and when
- Any one-time fees at move-in (administration, lock, or other)
- Whether insurance is required, what it costs from you, and whether you accept my own policy instead
- How often you raise rates on existing tenants and by roughly how much
- Your access hours and the notice needed to move out

I'd like to reserve by [date] if the numbers work.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good reply answers each line. If it only quotes the promotional price, reply asking again for the post-promotion rate and the increase policy. That is where the real cost hides.
  • Most large chains raise rates every six to twelve months, often by a noticeable percentage. A slightly higher starting rate at a facility with a written promise of no increase for a year can be cheaper overall.
  • Ask whether the quoted rate can be honored for the first year in writing. Smaller independent facilities often say yes.
  • If the facility will not put the fees or the increase policy in writing, or if it requires you to buy their insurance even when you have your own, choose another.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Find me a storage unit and get the real price 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get written quotes from storage facilities near me and tell me which one actually costs the least over the time I'll need it.

Size: [unit size or a description of what I'm storing].
Climate control: [yes / no / not sure].
Access: [ground floor, drive-up, or any].
Where: [neighborhood, city, or a radius from an address].
Move-in date: [date].
How long: [expected number of months].
Insurance: [I have my own policy / I don't].

Contact at least four facilities, get the monthly rate after any promotion, all fees, insurance requirements and their rate-increase policy in writing, ask whether they'll hold the rate for a year, and give me the true cost of each for my expected stay.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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