How to choose a storage facility in Lahore: 9 questions to ask before you book

Choosing a storage facility in Lahore usually happens in a hurry. The house is being renovated, the flight is booked, or the new place isn't ready yet. So people pick the first number they are quoted and hope for the best. That is how sofas come back with damp marks and cartons come back short.

A few straight questions before you book will tell you almost everything. Here are the nine we would ask any storage facility in Lahore, including us, and the answers you should expect to hear.

1. Is the price written down, or do you have to call for it?

A good storage facility in Lahore can tell you the monthly rent before anyone visits your house. If the only answer is “it depends, we’ll send someone”, you have no way to compare quotes.

Our own rate card is public. Units cost PKR 200 to 250 per square foot per month, with a one-month minimum, and the same rates apply in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi:

• 5 x 5 (25 sq ft): PKR 5,000 to 6,250 a month. One room, or a student’s things.

• 10 x 10 (100 sq ft): PKR 20,000 to 25,000. A one or two bedroom flat.

• 10 x 15 (150 sq ft): PKR 30,000 to 37,500. A two to three bedroom house.

• 10 x 20 (200 sq ft): PKR 40,000 to 50,000. A three to four bedroom house.

For the full breakdown, see our guide to how much self storage costs in Pakistan or the prices page.

2. What exactly is included in the monthly rent?

The rent should cover more than four walls. Ask for the list in writing. Ours includes the locked unit for the whole month, 24-hour CCTV, an overnight guard, an itemised inventory, photographs of the seal, and access visits by appointment with the first hour on site free. Packing materials are included when our crew does the packing.

Collection and delivery are quoted separately, so ask for that figure up front as well. A quote that only gives the rent is half a quote.

3. Will my things have their own locked unit?

This is the question that matters most. Some places stack everyone’s goods on one open floor. Furniture gets moved to reach someone else’s, and nobody can say who touched what.

Ask whether you get a separated, lockable unit, and how the facility is watched. At our storage facility in Lahore, goods go into their own unit, the entrances and unit doors are on 24-hour CCTV, and a guard is on site overnight. The unit is sealed, and the seal is photographed when it closes and again when it opens.

4. How do I get to my things, and how quickly?

Storage you can’t reach is just a lost room. Ask how access works before you need it, not after.

• Visits: by appointment on 48 hours’ notice, so the unit is open when you arrive. The first hour on site is free.

• Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

• One item only: if you just need one thing, we can pull it and courier it to you, billed as a small job.

Our facility address is shared when you book, and visits are by appointment so someone is always there to open your unit.

5. Do you collect from my area of Lahore?

Most people storing a household don’t own a truck. Ask which areas are covered. We collect from across Lahore, including DHA (all phases), Gulberg, Model Town, Bahria Town, Cantt and Askari, and Valencia and Lake City. If your area isn’t on the list, ask anyway; it is usually still a yes.

Also ask what the crew does on the day. Ours wraps and packs everything, dismantles beds, wardrobes and wall units, and loads the truck. If you are packing some of it yourself, our guide on how to pack furniture for storage shows what to do first.

6. Will I get an inventory, and when is it written?

An inventory written later, from memory or a photo of a stacked room, is a guess both sides have to trust. Ask when the list is made.

Ours is written at the truck, as each item and carton is carried out, and you get a copy before the truck leaves. At the other end, often a year or two later, that list and the seal photographs are what make “I think everything is here” something you can check.

7. How do you deal with Lahore’s heat, damp and pests?

Lahore summers are hot, and the monsoon brings heavy, humid weeks (see the Pakistan Meteorological Department for seasonal forecasts). Damp, not heat, is what marks wood and fabric. Ask whether units are dry, ventilated and on a pest-control schedule. Ours are.

Ask the honest question too: do they offer cold storage? We don’t. Our units are right for furniture, appliances, documents and household goods, and wrong for anything that must be kept cold. Our guide on protecting furniture from humidity, heat and termites covers the rest.

8. Should I take a unit or a whole container?

For a full family home, a sealed shipping container can be cheaper per square foot than a unit. A 20 ft container (149 sq ft usable) is PKR 30,000 a month flat. A 40 ft container (304 sq ft) is PKR 50,000, which works out at about PKR 164 per square foot, against PKR 200 to 250 for a unit.

Not sure which size you need? Our room-by-room size guide and container vs storage unit comparison will help, or try the storage calculator.

9. What if I'm leaving the country?

Many people choosing a storage facility in Lahore are moving abroad, and the details change. Ask whether you can nominate someone in Pakistan to authorise access or retrieval, and whether you can pay monthly from abroad. With us you can do both, and the inventory and seal photos are sent to you wherever you are. Six months to two years is a normal stay. See storing furniture while moving abroad for the full plan.

Questions about choosing a storage facility in Lahore

How much does a storage unit cost in Lahore?

With us, PKR 200 to 250 per square foot per month, from PKR 5,000 a month for a 5 x 5 unit, with a one-month minimum. Collection and delivery are quoted separately.

How long do I have to store for?

The minimum is one month. If you are abroad, stays of six months to two years are normal, with no penalty at either end.

Can I visit my unit?

Yes, by appointment on 48 hours’ notice. The first hour on site is free.

What can’t go into storage?

Anything that needs to be kept cold, and the items on our list of what you can and can’t store.

Before you book

Ask all nine questions, and get the answers in writing. A storage facility in Lahore that publishes its prices, gives you your own sealed unit and writes the inventory at the truck has nothing to hide. If you would like our answer for your own things, see storage in Lahore or get a price. Tell us what you’re storing and we’ll come back with the unit size, the monthly rent and what collection would cost.