Storing furniture while moving abroad: what to keep, ship or sell

The visa came through, the flight is booked, and the house has to be empty in three weeks. Somewhere in that list is the question nobody wants to answer under pressure: what happens to the furniture? This guide is about storing furniture while moving abroad from Pakistan, and about the decisions around it, because the storage itself is the easy part.

Most of the families we store for are in exactly this position. Some are going for a two year contract in the Gulf, some for study in the UK or Canada, some don't know yet whether they're coming back. The advice below works for all of them.

Three dates that never line up

Moving abroad runs on three dates set by three different people. The flight is fixed by the visa or the job. The day the house has to be handed back is fixed by a landlord or a buyer. And if you're shipping anything, the shipping date is fixed by a freight company that won't confirm it as early as you'd like.

These almost never fall in the same week. That gap is why people sell a good dining set for whatever the first buyer offers, or keep paying rent on a house they've already left just to have somewhere to put things. Storage closes the gap. It doesn't care if the shipping date moves twice.

Sort everything into four piles

Before you think about unit sizes, walk through the house and put every large item into one of four groups. This is the decision that matters, and doing it early saves money on every step after it.

Ship it

Things you'll need in the first months abroad and can't easily buy again: documents, a laptop, children's things, anything with real sentimental weight. Freight is priced by volume, so keep this list short and deliberate.

Store it

Furniture and appliances you'd have to buy again at full price if you came back, and anything you can't decide about in a hurry. This is nearly always the biggest pile, and it's the one people regret selling.

Sell it

Things that cost more to keep than to replace. Old appliances, tired mattresses, bulky cheap furniture. Be honest here. Storing something you'll throw away in two years is paying rent on rubbish.

Deal with it now

Food, plants, gas cylinders, paint and fuel can't go into storage at all. Neither can anything that needs to stay cold, because we don't offer cold storage. Find these early. Discovering them on collection day costs you an hour you won't have.

What storing furniture while moving abroad really costs

A monthly price is hard to judge against a decision that might last two years, so it helps to look at the totals. Here's what a typical two bedroom house would cost in a 10 x 15 unit.

Now compare that with refurnishing a two bedroom house from scratch when you come back: beds, wardrobes, a sofa set, a dining table, a fridge and a washing machine. For most families storage wins easily over two years. For a short stay of a few months it wins by a mile. You can check your own figure on the prices page, or let the calculator size your house first.

Running your storage from overseas

A lot of people worry that they'll lose control of their things once they've left. In practice it works fine, and it's an ordinary arrangement for us.

• Name someone at home. A brother, a parent or a property manager can be the person on site on collection day if you've already flown. Tell us who, and we'll deal with them.
• Keep the inventory. We list every item that goes into the unit. Keep that list somewhere you can reach it from abroad.
• Set up billing before you leave. Decide who pays and where the invoice goes. It saves a conversation across a time difference in your first fortnight.
• Agree access in advance. If a relative may need to collect something, tell us their name. We ask for 48 hours notice before any visit, from anyone.

Everything else can happen over WhatsApp. You can run the whole arrangement from another time zone without needing to fly back for it.

Shipping things to you later

We store, we don't ship. But if you decide a year from now that you want the dining set in your new home, the handover is simple. Tell us who your freight forwarder is and when they're coming, and we'll have the unit opened, the contents checked against the inventory, and the goods released to them.

The Bureau of Emigration publishes useful guidance for Pakistanis going abroad for work at beoe.gov.pk, and it's worth reading before you finalise any plans.

A timeline that works

1. Four weeks out: sort the four piles and list what's being stored. Get a storage price.
2. Three weeks out: start selling. Buyers take longer than you expect.
3. Two weeks out: pack the things you won't need before you fly. Book the collection date.
4. The last week: collection day, ideally a few days before the flight, not the day before.
5. After you land: check the inventory against your notes while it's fresh.

Questions families ask before they leave

Can I store a car or a motorbike while I'm away?

A motorbike, yes, as long as the fuel tank is completely drained. Cars are a different matter, because our units and containers are set up for household goods. Plan on leaving a car with family or selling it.

What happens if I extend my contract abroad?

Nothing dramatic. Storage runs month by month after the first 1 month, so a contract that stretches from two years to three simply means the arrangement carries on. There's nothing to renew and no new paperwork.

Should I keep my appliances or sell them?

Look at their age. A fridge or washing machine under five years old is usually worth storing, because buying the same thing again costs far more than storing it. Older appliances, especially ones that were already giving trouble, are often better sold before you go.

Will my furniture be all right for two years?

Good furniture stores for years if it goes in clean, dry and properly wrapped. The risks in Pakistan are humidity and insects, and both are mostly dealt with before the unit door closes. Our guide on how to protect furniture from humidity covers what to do.

Before you go

We've built a whole page around this situation, storage while moving abroad, with the common questions answered. If you'd like a figure for your own house, send us a list or some photos and we'll come back with the unit and the monthly cost, usually the same day.