Storage Services in Dubai

The gap between two tenancy dates

Most people who call us about storage are not hoarding. They are caught between a tenancy contract that ends on the 30th and a new one that starts on the 12th of the following month. Two weeks with no address is enough to need somewhere for a whole three bedroom home to sit.

The other common reasons are a villa being painted before you move in, a posting that takes you out of the country for a few months, and moving from a furnished apartment in Business Bay to an unfurnished one where half of what you own no longer fits. These are short term problems, so nothing about the storage should feel like a long term commitment.

The building rules still apply on collection day. Your tower will want a move out permit, a booked service lift slot and often a refundable deposit held against damage to the lobby and the lift, and none of that changes because the furniture is going to a warehouse. We apply for the permit and book the lift. Your DEWA move out and your Ejari paperwork stay with you.

Useful links: DEWA move in and move out and Dubai Land Department.

What a Dubai summer does to stored furniture

Heat and humidity are why storage here has to be done differently. Leather dries out and cracks. Veneer and edging lift where the glue softens. Joints in solid wood loosen. Anything upholstered holds a smell if the air around it never moves, and a mattress left leaning against a wall for six weeks comes out with marks that will not brush off.

So we wrap in furniture blankets rather than putting plastic straight onto a polished surface, because shrink wrap against polish traps moisture and leaves a bloom on the finish. Mattresses go into covers and are stored flat. Sofas are not used as a shelf for heavy cartons. Everything sits on racking, off the floor, in a unit that is clean and ventilated.

Appliances have to be prepared first, and this is what people get wrong most often. A fridge needs emptying, switching off, defrosting and then a day with the doors open so it dries fully. A washing machine needs draining, including the filter and the hose. A damp appliance sealed in a warm unit for a month will smell strongly when it comes out, so we tell you when to start at the survey.

Your inventory, and getting one item back

Nothing leaves your home without being written down. Every carton is numbered, every piece of furniture is listed, and we photograph anything that already has a scratch or a chip before it is wrapped. You get a copy of the list, so what we are holding is never a matter of memory.

That list is also what makes retrieval possible. If you need the winter coats, the printer or the box with the car documents in it, you give us the number and we pull that one item rather than asking you to come and empty the unit. You can add to storage later too, and it goes onto the same list.

Some things cannot be stored at all, and it is better to hear that now than on collection day. No food, including sealed dry goods, because it attracts pests. No plants. No paint, thinner, gas canisters or aerosols. No cash or jewellery. And nothing you might suddenly need, such as original certificates or your tenancy contract. If you are unsure about an item, ask at the survey.

What storage in Dubai costs

Storage is priced on the space your things take up and the number of weeks we hold them, so it is settled by volume and time rather than by a count of items. Two people leaving a one bedroom in Discovery Gardens take up far less room than a family leaving a villa in Arabian Ranches.

These are the things that move the figure up or down, which is why we survey rather than guess: