Full-service storage vs self-storage comes down to who does the work. With self-storage, you rent a unit, then pack, load, drive and unload everything yourself, and you go back to the unit on your own when you need something from it. With full-service storage from a moving company, the crew inventories, wraps and loads your belongings at home, stores them in a warehouse, and delivers them back when you're ready.
Either option can hold a household through a gap between homes, a remodel or a long stay away. They differ in four practical ways: who does the labor, how you reach your things, how the billing is set up, and how your belongings are handled while they're stored.
Self-storage vs moving company storage at a glance
| Self-storage | Our full-service storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Packing and loading | You pack and load, or hire help on your own | Our crew inventories, wraps and loads at your home |
| The truck | You rent or borrow one and drive it to the facility | Our truck and crew pick up at your home |
| Where things are kept | An individual unit rented from the facility | Sealed, labelled vaults inside our San Jose warehouse |
| Climate | Ask the facility whether the unit is climate-controlled | Climate-controlled warehouse and vaults, stable humidity |
| Access during storage | You come and go under the rental agreement's rules | Vaults stay inside the warehouse; you call us to schedule delivery |
| Billing structure | Rent on the unit, with the truck, supplies and any help paid for separately | Per vault, per month, month to month with no minimum; pickup and delivery labor quoted separately |
| Inventory | Your own list, if you keep one | Taken by our crew at pickup |
| Getting it back | You load, drive and unload again | Delivered on your schedule, locally by our own crews or out of state as a Bekins agent |
Who does the lifting and drives the truck
Self-storage is self-service. You pack the boxes, carry the furniture out, load a truck you've rented or borrowed, drive it to the facility and unload it into the unit. When the gap ends, you do the same work in reverse. Some people hire hourly help for the heavy pieces, which means one more company to book at each end.
Full-service storage is storage with pickup and delivery, handled by the moving company at both ends. With us, pickup is a standard move. Our crew comes to the house, inventories what's going into storage, wraps the furniture and loads our truck. Every crew member is a W-2 employee. Silicon Valley Moving & Storage is a family-owned company founded in 1990 (USDOT 1962166 · Interstate USDOT 70719 · CAL T 188960).
The truck then comes back to our warehouse at 186 Barnard Ave in San Jose, and our crew unloads it into storage there. Because one company handles moving and storage under one roof, your things don't change hands between a mover and a separate storage facility. When you're ready, we deliver on your schedule. Our own crews deliver locally across the Bay Area, and we deliver out of state as a Bekins Van Lines interstate agent.
Getting to your things during storage
A self-storage unit is space you rent and control. California's self-storage law describes these facilities as property rented out as individual storage spaces, and it gives the renter use of the space, to the exclusion of others, under a written rental agreement. In practice, you come and go yourself under whatever access rules that agreement sets, so read it before you sign.
With full-service storage, your belongings go into sealed, labelled vaults that never leave our warehouse. When you want your things back, you call us and we schedule delivery. Before pickup day, set aside what you'll need during the gap, such as paperwork and clothes for the coming season, so those stay with you.
Billing structure for each option
Self-storage is billed as rent on the unit, under the rental agreement. The truck, packing supplies and any help you hire are separate, and you arrange each one yourself. The truck and the help come up twice: once to move in and again to move out.
Our storage is billed per vault, per month, month to month, with no minimum commitment. Labor for the pickup and the delivery is quoted separately. We quote against your actual inventory, so the estimate reflects what you're storing.
To compare the two on equal terms, add up the whole job. On the self-storage side, that means the unit, the truck at both ends, supplies, any hired help and your own time. On the full-service side, it means the vaults plus the pickup and delivery labor.
Handling and inventory
California's self-storage law also states that a self-service storage facility is not a warehouse. The facility rents you the space, and the packing, padding, stacking and labelling inside it are up to you, as is the record of what's there. If you use a unit, wrap furniture before it goes in, leave a path to the back, and keep a written list with photos. If climate matters for what you're storing, ask the facility whether the unit is climate-controlled.
With moving company storage, the inventory and the wrapping happen at your home, before anything goes on the truck. At the warehouse, the crew unloads everything into sealed, labelled vaults. The warehouse and vaults are climate-controlled, with stable humidity. The warehouse is built to fire and military code and has on-site security, 24/7 security monitoring with controlled access, and daily cleaning and pest control. Our full-service storage page has more on the facility.
When full-service storage is common
Full-service storage is common when most of a household has to leave the house at once, either to come back later or to go somewhere new:
- A sale closes before the purchase does, or a lease ends before the next place is ready.
- A remodel needs the rooms empty while the work is done.
- A sabbatical, an overseas posting or another long stay away. Our page on long-term household storage covers longer stays.
- Downsizing or settling an estate, when decisions about each piece take time.
On an interstate move, storage between pickup and delivery is called storage in transit. With us, storage in transit can last as long as you need it, and the first 30 days are often in the estimate. Our moving and storage page covers the move-plus-storage service and storage in transit in more detail.
Quick answers
ShowHide
What is the difference between full-service storage and self-storage?
With self-storage, you rent a unit and do the packing, loading, driving and unloading yourself, then go back to the unit on your own when you need something from it. With full-service storage, a moving company picks your belongings up at home, keeps them in a warehouse, and delivers them when you're ready. At Silicon Valley Moving & Storage, they're stored in sealed, labelled vaults in our climate-controlled San Jose warehouse.
How is full-service storage billed?
We bill storage per vault, per month, month to month, with no minimum commitment. Labor for the pickup and the delivery is quoted separately, and the quote is based on your actual inventory. Call (408) 941-0600 or request a free quote.
Is storage in transit the same as full-service storage?
Storage in transit is full-service storage that happens partway through an interstate move, between pickup at the old home and delivery to the new one. With us, it can last as long as needed, and the first 30 days are often in the estimate. Full-service storage also covers local moves and storage on its own, such as during a remodel.
Where can you deliver after storage?
Our own crews deliver locally across the Bay Area. For a delivery out of state, we handle the move as a Bekins Van Lines agent, and interstate moves run under USDOT 70719.
For storage between homes, during a remodel or while you're away, request a free storage quote or call us at (408) 941-0600. We'll quote the vaults and the pickup and delivery labor against what you're actually storing.
Sources: California Business and Professions Code section 21701, definitions for self-service storage facilities, as published at california.public.law. Statutes change; confirm the current text with the California Legislature.