Where should you store your belongings when renting out your primary residence?

For various reasons, homeowners may find themselves needing to rent out their home. Indeed, renting out your primary residence can be a great way to optimize your income during a relatively long business trip or an extended vacation. During this period of absence, if the property is primarily occupied by a tenant, if they do not reside there for more than 90 consecutive days, if they do not establish it as their primary residence, and if your homeowners' association allows it, you can rent out your primary residence.

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In these conditions, short-term rental is recommended because it allows you to meet rental criteria while optimizing your rental income during the period you are not present in your primary residence. Please note that in some cities, you are only allowed to rent out your primary home for 120 days per year.

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Once the property is listed for rent, an essential question arises: what should you do with the belongings you don't want to make available to tenants? Undoubtedly, your primary residence contains furniture, equipment, decorations, and other valuables that you do not wish to leave in your home while it is being rented. Several solutions exist to keep your personal effects safe and avoid theft, damage, or loss. So where should you store your belongings when renting out your primary residence?

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Storing your furniture securely

Furniture storage: the standard storage solution

There are several ways to keep your personal belongings safe while renting out your primary residence. However, using a professional furniture storage facility is the most secure way to store your personal effects. Generally, furniture storage offers consist of renting a container for a fixed period.

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Disadvantages: It is not possible to access your container whenever you want to retrieve items, for example. You often have to make an appointment, and the visit may be billed to you. Furthermore, even if the volume of stored items decreases during the storage period, it is not possible to change the size of the container to pay less for a smaller space.

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Advantages: Furniture storage facilities are often managed by moving professionals and are highly secure. The fact that you cannot access your space whenever you want reduces foot traffic and thus increases the security of this type of storage. Furniture storage often also includes the transport and packing of your belongings before they are put into storage.

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Thus, renting a furniture storage unit is ideal for people who do not need regular access to their belongings. This is the case for homeowners who rent out their primary residence due to a trip or a business assignment. It is also the most worry-free way to store your furniture because you can be sure your belongings are safe due to the type of services offered by these facilities.

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Self-storage: the flexible storage solution

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Self-storage is a variation of furniture storage that also allows you to keep your belongings safe while renting out your primary residence. It also involves storing your items in a closed space, but you have access to it whenever you wish. The subscription remains monthly, but if necessary, you can terminate it before the end of the term.

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Disadvantages: As the name implies, it is "self"-storage, meaning you do the work yourself. As you might have guessed, in this context, you must pack and store the items in your space yourself. While this is rarely the case in professional furniture storage where your items are placed in the container by professionals, here you will have to move your belongings to the storage location by your own means. Furthermore, while having access to your belongings whenever you want is convenient, it increases traffic in the facility and lowers the security of this type of storage.

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Advantages: The disadvantages are also advantages because the accessibility to your personal effects is flexible, as is the contract. If your stay is cut short, you can retrieve your belongings without having to pay the subscription until the end of the commitment and can terminate it along the way. Finally, doing the storage yourself makes this type of offer less expensive.

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Thus, renting a self-storage unit is ideal for people who are in the middle of a move and are doing it in several stages. In this context, you can access your storage space whenever you want to bring in more items and furniture according to your availability. It is also a good storage alternative for homeowners with a smaller budget who still want to put their belongings in a place that is at least minimally monitored.

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YouStock: the custom storage solution

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The YouStock furniture storage service offers a unique solution for storing furniture and other personal effects. They are present in the Île-de-France region, Monaco, Nice, Bordeaux, and Lyon, where they offer their custom storage space rental service. Their offer is called "custom" because the duration of your rental and the space you rent are calculated according to your needs—no more, no less. Indeed, based on the inventory of items to be stored completed online, the volume required for your storage space is calculated down to the cubic meter.

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In addition, YouStock professionals come to pack, disassemble, and collect your belongings at home before transporting them to the storage space closest to you. At the end of your rental, you can retrieve your personal effects within 24 hours.

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Disadvantages: YouStock warehouses are not present everywhere in France, so you cannot benefit from the custom offer everywhere and must find a storage solution near your primary residence.

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Advantages: The size of the storage spaces defined according to your inventory also allows for custom pricing. The YouStock solution allows you to save up to 40% compared to a standard furniture storage facility where you pay for superfluous space. Moreover, you can manage your belongings remotely thanks to the YouStock online platform. All your items are photographed and uploaded online so that you keep control over your storage.

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Thus, the YouStock storage solution is a perfect match for homeowners who rent out their primary residence because it meets their specific needs in terms of storage size and duration. Often, homeowners do not need an entire container to store their belongings, but they do need small spaces because they leave their main furniture in the home. Thanks to YouStock, it is possible to rent spaces ranging from 0.5 square meters to over 8 square meters. Finally, it is also a way to store your belongings securely.

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To summarize, your various storage options are:

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Storing your belongings for free

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More affordable storage solutions exist for keeping items with sentimental or financial value while your primary residence is being rented out. The solution you choose will depend on your storage space requirements.

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If you have a small number of items that don't take up much space, you could, for example, install a safe in your home. To increase the security of your personal belongings, don't hesitate to place the safe in a relatively hidden and hard-to-reach spot in your home.

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Another free storage alternative is to dedicate a closet or one of the home's storage areas to your personal belongings and lock it. Do not leave the key in the home; take it with you or entrust it to the rental management service handling your property during your absence.

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If you need more space to store your personal items, you can also seal off an entire room in your home and store everything you want to keep away from tenants there. However, it is advisable to do this only in large homes with multiple rooms, as it will lead to a decrease in the nightly rate of your rental and, consequently, lower rental income.

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To significantly reduce the risk of theft, we still recommend that you remove your personal belongings from the home. If you have the opportunity, you can also store everything at the home of a trusted friend or family member for the duration of your trip or business travel.

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In short, there are different ways to store your belongings while renting out your primary residence. Regardless of the solution chosen, it must first and foremost meet your needs, fit your budget, and allow you to leave with peace of mind, without worrying about potential theft or damage.