Acceptable use and prohibited goods

This page forms part of your storage agreement with The Storage Zone Limited; see our storage licence terms. It says what you may and may not store, and how everyone must behave at our yards. It applies to you and to everyone you let into a yard, and you are responsible for them. If you are not sure whether something is allowed, ask us before you bring it: speak to the team at your yard or email mail@storagezone.co.uk.

You may store lawful goods that you own or are entitled to store, such as furniture, boxes, clean and dry household items, tools and equipment, business stock and papers. Vehicles, motorbikes, caravans, trailers and boats may be kept only where we have agreed it with you, and they must meet the rules on this page.

You must not store any of the following in a unit or anywhere in a yard:

• food, drink or anything perishable, or anything that is likely to attract vermin or insects, including pet food
• animals or any other living thing, including plants
• petrol, diesel and other fuels (apart from the fuel in the tank of a vehicle that we have agreed you may keep in the yard), gas cylinders and canisters, fireworks, explosives and ammunition, and any other flammable, combustible or explosive substance
• paints, solvents, adhesives, aerosols, cleaning products and other chemicals
• firearms, imitation firearms and other weapons
• hazardous, toxic, corrosive, radioactive, biological or environmentally harmful substances or materials, including asbestos
• anything that gives off fumes or odours, or that leaks
• anything illegal, stolen or counterfeit, anything you do not have the right to store, controlled drugs and anything used with them, and anything bought with the proceeds of crime
• cash and bullion
• anything else that could damage the unit, the yard or other customers’ goods, or put people at risk

Machinery that has a fuel tank, such as a lawn mower, generator, motorbike or chainsaw, must have its tank emptied and its battery disconnected before it goes into a unit.

A vehicle kept in open yard space may keep the fuel in its own tank, but it must not carry spare fuel, must not leak oil or fuel, and must be locked. You must not run its engine, work on it, wash it or repair it in the yard. You remain responsible for any tax, insurance or declaration that the law requires for a vehicle you keep with us.

Do not charge batteries, or plug in or switch on any electrical equipment, in a unit or anywhere in a yard.

Please look after the yard and the people in it. You and anyone you let in must:

• use the unit only to store goods: no living, sleeping, working, trading, running a business, receiving customers, parties or workshop activity, unless we have agreed it in writing
• not smoke or vape, use naked flames, cook, or use heaters, welding or other hot work in a unit or anywhere in a yard
• not alter, damage, paint or fix anything to a unit or the yard, and keep your goods inside your unit
• keep roads, doors and gangways clear, and park only where you are allowed to
• not leave rubbish, and not dump waste or goods in the yard or in anyone else’s bin
• not cause a nuisance, harass anyone or behave in an antisocial way, and not interfere with another customer’s unit or goods
• keep any key, code or card we give you to yourself and the people you authorise, not let anyone follow you in who has no right to be there, and close any gate or door behind you
• not tamper with CCTV, lighting, alarms, fences, locks or signs
• drive slowly and carefully, and keep children under adult supervision at all times
• follow signs and any reasonable instruction from our staff

When you book, you confirm that you will not store anything listed under “What you must not store”, and that you and anyone you let in will follow this page.

If we reasonably suspect that something prohibited or dangerous is in your unit, or that this page is being broken, we may ask you to open the unit for inspection, and we will try to do this with you there. Where there is a risk to safety, or where the law requires it, we may enter without notice, as our storage licence terms allow.

We may ask you to remove goods, or to stop what you are doing, straight away. We may remove goods that are unsafe, and charge you the reasonable cost. If we suspect that goods are stolen or illegal, or are weapons or controlled drugs, we will not dispose of them ourselves: we will tell the police and follow their instructions. We may suspend your access where the storage licence terms allow it, and, if the breach is serious, we may end your agreement straight away. We may also report suspected crime, or anything else we are required to report, to the police or another authority. We will act reasonably and in line with the storage licence terms.

If you see something unsafe, or someone breaking the rules on this page, tell the team at your yard or email mail@storagezone.co.uk. In an emergency, call 999.