In today’s electronic environment, we sometimes forget that we may still need to store paper copies of personal and/or business documents. Whether you are purging personal or family papers or organizing year end paperwork for your business, having safe and secure storage is a priority.
To save space at home or in your business location, storing documents in a personal storage unit at a storage facility is a great option. When storing paper products, be aware of how appetizing they are to rodents and insects.
If you are storing in a drive-up outdoor storage unit, make sure your files are sealed in metal cabinets or plastic bins. This works well if you don’t need to access your files often. When you need to access to your files on a regular basis, being organized in a climate-controlled storage unit is a better option.
In either case, organizing your files by category and year will help with quick access, especially when needed for tax or court inquiries.
In a climate controlled environment you can store your files in file boxes or storage bins on open shelving or in filing cabinets. Colour coding and easy to read labels on boxes and drawers make what you need easy to locate. Also, when it’s time to purge outdated records, they will be easy to find. Purging these files will open up space for current storage.
Understanding the length of time documents need to be kept will make your life easier.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the requirements for time retention of personal and business documents, organize your boxes or drawers so you can easily find the records that may be destroyed. Organizing these files by the date you can safely throw them out will save you time and space. Follow the shredding guidelines for these records and create space for new storage. Purge whatever you can, whenever you can.
The possibility of fire and flooding should be considered when you are deciding where to store your documents. There is nothing worse than having your family records destroyed when you have stored them in your basement and spring flooding or sewage backup happens.
If you have not scanned them onto a flash drive or into the Cloud (or equivalent) they are not replaceable and often you are still required to produce the original documents in any given situation.
There are many guides and storage tips on how best to arrange your files for storage. Investigate what’s available and pick whichever solution best matches your needs. Your choice will depend on whether you are a visual or ‘out of sight’ person. In any case, ensure you label everything consistently and that it’s easily recognizable to anyone you may send to retrieve or destroy records.
Check on lock up needs and security offered by the storage facility. Are there, sign in sheets, personalized entry codes for access and regular security patrols? Also check for when office personnel are on site. Check with your insurance provider and/or the facility to know how and for what your contents are covered, in the case of a disaster.
Have a map in the storage unit for quick and easy access to specific documents and keep an inventory of what is actually stored in your storage unit. Up to date records are a must, especially for your business and tax documents. Have peace of mind that your records are safe and secure at Elite Self Storage.
Rent a storage unit online or call one of our storage rental experts to discuss your storage needs. Check out our storage unit size guide to help you decide what size of storage unit to rent for your household or business storage needs. With convenient locations to rent a storage unit in Edmonton or to rent a storage unit in St. Albert.
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