The Reality of Bereavement

Every storage story is different here at Beehive Self Storage. Each item put into storage is unique and some stories of why people need to store are happier than others. We experience storage stories ranging from new babies, weddings and exotic travel plans, to house moves due to flooding, house moves that have fallen through, relationship breakdowns and of course, family deaths.

Picture courtesy of Anna Langova

As much as we would like to always have people wishing to store goods due to happier reasons unfortunately we do have to regularly help people who require storage due to the loss of a loved one.

Relatives are often left to manage the personal effects of the deceased person, which can be the most emotional and traumatic part of all. Items may have priceless sentimental value to each individual relative and it can be difficult to determine what items to keep and what items to sell or donate, particularly when you may have the pressure of a notice period or selling the property.

It can be an extremely emotional and stressful time for relatives, therefore more and more people are considering using self storage in these circumstances. Usually, customers who have lost a loved one use a storage unit to use as a space to gradually sort and determine what items they would like to keep in their own homes, sell, donate, dispose of or keep in storage on a timescale that suits them.

Picture courtesy of Anne Lowe

At Beehive Self Storage, we don’t have any long term contractual agreements. We simply have a four week minimum term and we ask for just two weeks notice to leave your unit. You can have peace of mind knowing that the priceless possessions you have inherited are safe and secure in our clean and dry individual units. At each of our branches, our experienced and friendly team members are happy to support you to find the storage solution that would suit your requirements from our Mini Stores to our largest units. We also stock a variety of packing materials and furniture covers to help you sort and protect your loved one’s belongings.

Starting today is Dying Matters Awareness Week, which raises awareness of talking and making arrangements for the end of life before it is too late.  So perhaps take time this week to discuss with your loved one’s what belongings they would wish to be kept after they have passed away.

The Dying Matters Coalition is working to encourage people to talk about their wishes towards the end of their lives, including where they want to die and their funeral plans with friends, family and loved ones. Dying Matters