Relocation is a fact of life in the military. Chances are, during your career, you’ll change bases at least once. On top of the challenge of finding new schools for your kids and the excitement of discovering a new city is the necessity of moving your belongings. You might go from a house at one base to an off-base apartment at the next, and that’s where self-storage comes into the picture.
If you’re assigned to Denver, then you’ll be at
Buckley Air Force Base. Here’s what you need to know about self-storage in the area.
How a Buckley Air Force Base Assignment Affects Your Storage Needs
First, you’ll be happy to know that weather in the Mile High City is mild. Winter days average about 37 F, summer days, 70 F, with a semi-arid, continental climate. Denver is one of the
lowest humidity cities in the U.S. For you, that means that you probably will not need climate controlled storage.
Denver has 112 self-storage facilities totaling 61,660 units. Buckley AFB is a large installation with about 6,780 active military personnel and 2,150 civilian workers, not to mention another 2,175 contractors and 2,400 reservists. Denver also has more than 600,000 residents. So, you may find some real competition for storage units. Denver is both a military city and a college city, so when students are coming back from summer or winter break it can be even more difficult to find a unit. Whether you live in privatized housing on Buckley Air Force Base, in the barracks, or in a nearby community, a
search for self-storage in Denver is bound to turn up great options, but start your search early.
Also, remember that the Denver Metro area, as with any popular city, can be expensive, but living just outside it is much more affordable. You may find this goes for the price of self-storage space as well.
Cost of Units in Denver
It can take time to find reasonably priced self-storage units in Denver. In pricing per month, you can find 5’x5’ units for as low as $60, 5’x10’ units as low as $70, and 9’x10’ to 12’x4’ units for around $130.
Of course, there are other considerations. These include the distance you live from the storage facility, how often you will go there, and what you plan to store in it. A cheap, nearby facility is usually the best option. However, if you often like to go biking at a particular park, keeping your bike in a storage unit near that park, but a bit farther from your home, might make sense. If you’ll go to your unit only once a month or so, then a cheaper one a little farther away might save you money over one closer to hand.
This cannot be stressed enough. Ask around about military discounts. Some self-storage companies offer discounts to members of the military and may even charge less if you’re deployed to another country. Just remember to bring your military ID with you when you rent.
If You’re Deployed
Part of being an active military member, or even a reservist, means you might be deployed overseas at any time, and sometimes, that deployment could last years. You might even be in a place where it’s difficult to access the internet, and you can get so busy that you forget a few payments on your self-storage unit.
Usually when a tenant misses several storage payments, and the facility has sent the tenant proper notification with no payments forthcoming, the facility can auction off the unit. This is covered under
Colorado’s lien laws. We recommend setting up automatic payments before your deployment. Not only will this avoid the possible loss of your valuables, the military requires its members to pay all bills or face docked paychecks and other measures.
On the other hand, the military recognizes these difficulties and that’s the reason for the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. This act makes sure that military personnel renting storage get fair treatment and makes it much more difficult for a facility to put your unit up for auction. A Fort Bragg soldier
fought and won a case when his unit was illegally auctioned off.
Storing Guns
Gun storage can be a touchy subject and many self-storage facilities will not allow it. If you have recreational firearms and need a place to keep them either when you’ve been deployed or simply because you don’t want them in your home, ask various facilities if they allow it before you pick a rental. Of course, if you live on base, chances are you can register your firearms there and store them according to protocol.
The article
Storing Your Firearms: Safe Options for Gun Storage on the Storage Front website will provide you with plenty of helpful tips. Keep in mind though that while some facilities do allow gun storage, almost none allow the storage of ammunition.
