4 Ways Storage Helps You Cope With a Divorce
Going through a divorce is traumatic for all parties involved. Hostile divorces, where both parties are angry at each other, are the worst. Trust has been eroded and the two must separate their lives, and their belongings. Even amicable divorces are hard; it’s sad splitting from someone you care about and trust, knowing that you aren’t a good match.
This article will cover splitting possessions, keeping your own things safe, and how self storage can help with that.
Sharing a Unit
Through mutual agreement or court decisions, you and your ex will have to separate your belongings. There will be things you came into the marriage with that you want to keep, things your spouse came in with that they will want to keep, and things you bought together that will need to be divided somehow.
Early on, you will both be under a lot of stress. If you still trust each other despite splitting up, you may want to rent a self storage unit together. Whether you’re selling your shared home or trying to figure out who gets what, a storage unit can help. You may need only a small, 5x5 unit for this.
Once things have settled a bit and you’re living apart, you can go back to the unit together and split things up. Storage units are typically leased on a month-to-month basis, so you don’t need to have a deadline for moving anything out.
Keep an inventory of possessions, and record who gets what on there as well. This may be helpful if there are any legal disputes down the line. You will also want to have both your names on the rental agreement. Otherwise, the one whose name is on it can keep the one whose name is not out of the unit.
Getting a Lawyer’s Help
What if you and your ex don’t get along and can’t trust each other with a shared self storage unit? In that case, you may want to talk to a lawyer about setting up a trust. This can establish a legal list of what belongs to whom. While you and your ex may keep a list yourselves, a trust will hold more weight in court.
You may still be able to get that shared self storage unit to set your things aside. After all, if you’re the one moving out, you may feel uncomfortable leaving your things behind with your ex. Consider this option for better legal protection.
Getting Your Own Unit
If you are the party moving out, you may also want to get your own storage unit. This is especially true if you are moving into a place that’s too small to keep all your belongings, or if you’re moving in with a friend or relatives for a transitionary period.
If you and your ex have already decided who gets what, you can move all of your things into your own storage unit. Otherwise, you can move those things that you know, early on, are going to you. Once you have a big enough new place, you can move all of your belongings into it.
Self Storage Helps with Moving
In general, self storage can be a huge help when moving. It can give you time to get out of and clean your old place, and, after you’ve moved the essentials to your new place, allows you extra time to bring everything there from your unit. Essentially, it acts as a staging area.
This is true whatever your reason for moving. Having the extra space can relieve a lot of stress.
If you are experiencing a divorce, we hope that it’s of the amicable variety, and that it goes as smoothly as possible. Remember to take some time, and space, for yourself, and remember that self storage can help with the latter.
