I would love to use the phrase “common sense”, but then you probably won’t be too surprised to find that some people are in short supply here. Realistically though, in most cases when people contravene the rules and regulations of storage, it is nothing more than an oversight, but over the years, many interesting things have been found in storage units.

Most people who rent a storage unit, sees the space as their own, and they want to use it in any way they can. People have been known to live inside their storage unit, store explosives, keeping grandma Mae’s coffin… With grandma Mae inside. Or they store food for the winter – all things that are against the rules and regulations.

Listing everything you can’t store, can become tiresome, as the list is quite long, so I’ll break it down into categories…

Animals

This includes living or dead animals. So no, if you’re planning on going on holiday, you cannot leave your cat, budgie or pet iguana in the storage unit. Apart from being cruel, it is also illegal.

And if your favourite family pet exchanges the present with the ever after, then I’m sorry to say that, that too is a big no-no.

Perishables

I don’t know about you, but my cupboards are bare come payday, so there is no chance that I’ll ever have the need to store food. But some people do, and while there are places where you can safely store food, a self storage unit is not one of them.

The reason is simple, they attract pests and vermin, and other people tend to frown upon rats and bugs all over the place.

Stolen Goods

Um, how do I put this, stealing is bad, and you really shouldn’t have stolen goods in your possession, and if you do, don’t stash it in a storage unit, it is not very nice.

You are only allowed to put stuff in storage that you have permission to store. Get it?

Drugs and other dodgy stuff

A storage unit is not going to save you from a conviction. If the cops find your stuff in storage, it is just as good as if they found it under your bed.

This includes all the paraphernalia you brought home from your OE in Amsterdam.

Things that go boom!

Guns, bombs, fireworks or anything that could possibly cause an explosion is really not welcome in a storage unit. So if you own an old SCUD missile, and it is not decommissioned, then you really should find another place to keep it in storage.

I would also advise against storing petrol, chlorine and other volatile materials. Especially if they are in the same container.

This is only a short list, and again I would love to leave it to your “common sense” to work out what you should be able to store. If the cops will nab you for owning the stuff, then you can’t store it, and if you’re happy to openly sell the goods at the police flea market, then you are most likely to be allowed to store it.

Unless it’s donuts of course…