The self storage industry is growing every year. Whilst it’s hard to measure the exact number, there are over 1,900 self storage sites in the UK. So, the bigger the industry becomes, the higher the demand grows for storage auctions.

As the UK’s most trusted Storage Auction Platform, we take great pride in ensuring all listings comply with recommended industry best practices. As members of the Self Storage Association UK (SSA), we adopt and abide by their manual advice and procedures.

By doing this, you can place your trust in us that we complete a thorough inventory of every item included in the storage room you’re bidding on. To highlight just how important this best practice is, how we follow it, and how it helps you bid and buy assuredly, read on for our quick guide to SSA best practices.

The SSA UK is the principal trade association representing self storage operators and industry suppliers' interests in the UK.

The association’s vision is to ensure a sustainable and self-regulated self storage industry, and it aims to promote best practices and help develop one of the UK’s fastest-growing alternative asset-based industries. Their mission includes:

• Setting the standard for the industry
• Promoting the self storage industry in the UK
• Providing industry-specific research
• Providing a lobbying forum to promote industry interests with statutory bodies
• Provide a forum for discussion and debate through a network of events
• Raise awareness of the benefits of self storage and promote best practices within the industry

The minimum best practice standard that eKonnect adheres to when preparing the lots you bid on for sale is the SSA’s Manual of Advice and Procedures (MAP).

The MAP is designed to explain basic legal principles and outline practical solutions to everyday problems. Whilst it offers guidance on all aspects of the storage industry, key areas of best practice for us include:

• Taking a good inventory
• Identifying goods
• Illegal goods
• Personal items
• Items of no or negligible Commercial value

The MAP clearly states the importance of taking a thorough inventory of goods before selling them at UK storage auctions. When you bid and buy on abandoned storage rooms with eKonnect, you can rest assured you’re buying responsibly as we’ve been specialising in the clearance of storage rooms since 2017.

As part of our commitment to this best practice, we thoroughly inspect every room we list, taking time to check and list everything in the room. Through this, we provide detailed descriptions and clear photos with all listings.

Following MAP guidance, we correctly identify all items in any storage room we list for auction, sorting all goods into general categories.

As part of this, we do not remove any items from storage rooms before the auction other than personal items and items that are illegal to sell in the UK.

Personal items such as photographs and wedding certificates will always be removed, alongside illegal items, so you can buy abandoned storage rooms from us with complete clarity, knowing exactly what you’re getting with every listing.

Bidding on and buying abandoned storage rooms with eKonnect means you’re investing responsibly. By Abiding by SSA best practices, we’re offering you the ability to buy with accuracy and assurance.

Ready to get bidding? Find a listing near you now.