Mobile self storage vs man with a van. Why does the price differ?
A man-with-a-van offering “cheap storage” will quote roughly £15–£25 per week to keep your stuff in a lock-up, a shed, a unit on his yard, or sometimes the back of his Luton. Faringdon Removals charges £30/£20/£10 per week + £99 collection for storage in an alarmed CCTV depot with £5,000 goods-in-storage insurance included, formal contracts, and continuity if the operator catches flu. Honest summary: man-with-a-van wins on headline price; we win on insurance, premises, formal protection, and what happens if anything goes wrong. Both are valid choices. The question is how much risk you want to carry.
The comparison table
Generalised against typical UK independent man-with-a-van storage offerings (Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, leaflet drops). Verified May 2026 across ~15 listings in the south-east.
| Faringdon Removals (mobile self storage) | Man with a van / informal storage | |
|---|---|---|
| 250cuft weekly rent | £30/wk inc VAT | ~£15–£25/wk (varies wildly) |
| Collection fee | £99 one-off, written into contract | Often “included” or vague |
| Insurance: goods in storage | Included up to £5,000 | Usually none. Sometimes a single-line “not liable” clause. |
| Insurance: goods in transit | Yes, full GIT cover | Sometimes — varies by operator |
| Premises | Alarmed CCTV depot, formal lease, fire alarm | Lock-up, shed, container yard, sometimes the back of the van |
| Public liability | £5m PL cover | Sometimes £1m, often expired, sometimes none |
| VAT registered | Yes — VAT invoices issued | Usually not (sub-£90k turnover threshold) |
| Formal contract | Yes — signed T&Cs at booking | Often verbal or text message |
| Refund on early cancellation | Whole unused weeks refunded | Usually none, depends on relationship |
| Business continuity | Operator off sick? Depot still secure, crew cover | Operator off sick? Your stuff is in his lockup, you can’t access it |
| VAT-recoverable invoice | Yes | No |
| What happens if your stuff gets damaged? | Claim against £5k cover, settled formally | “Mate, I’m so sorry, I’ll buy you a pint” |
| What happens if he stops trading? | Bonded handover plan, depot continues | Your stuff is in his shed and he’s not answering the phone |
| Typical 12-week cost | £459 | £240 (no insurance, no formal recourse) |
The price gap is real. So is the risk gap. This page exists so you can make that trade-off knowingly rather than by accident.
When man with a van wins
- You’re storing low-value items you’d be willing to write off if something went wrong (garden tools, hobby gear, old furniture you weren’t precious about).
- You know the operator personally: friend of a friend, used him before, family connection. Personal accountability replaces formal contracts here.
- You only need storage for a few weeks and the cost difference matters more than the protection.
- You’re storing items already explicitly covered by your own household contents insurance away-from-home extension, and you’ve checked that off-site informal storage is included (most policies exclude this).
- You’re comfortable with no formal recourse if things go wrong.
For genuinely low-stakes storage with a known operator, man-with-a-van is a defensible choice. We’re not saying don’t.
When mobile self storage wins
- You’re storing items worth replacing. House contents typically run £10–£30k for a 1-bed flat. £5k insurance doesn’t cover everything but it covers the difference between “annoying” and “ruinous”.
- The contents include electronics, white goods, business stock, archive, sentimental items, or anything irreplaceable.
- You’re a business storing inventory or archive. You need VAT-recoverable invoices and formal insurance for tax and audit reasons.
- You’re storing for more than 4–6 weeks. The longer storage runs, the more the risk gap matters.
- You can’t easily say “I trust this person with everything I own for 3 months” about the man-with-a-van quote you’ve just got.
- You want continuity. Depot doesn’t disappear if one person catches flu.
For most house moves, renovations, downsizing, and business archive, the formal protection is worth the price gap. It’s about £200 over 12 weeks. Less than the excess on most home contents claims.
The honest trade-offs
- Headline price difference is real. A casual operator charging £20/week has no warehouse rent, no insurance premium, no VAT, no formal admin. Their cost base is genuinely lower.
- Insurance isn’t theoretical. UK self-storage industry data suggests a small but non-zero rate of stored-goods damage from water, fire, theft, mishandling, and operator failure. Most home contents policies don’t cover items stored off-site. Without explicit goods-in-storage cover, you’re self-insured for 100% of the value.
- Continuity isn’t theoretical either. Sole-trader operators occasionally stop trading, sometimes overnight. Customers find out by trying to call.
- Some man-with-a-van operators are genuinely good. This page isn’t saying they’re all bad. It’s saying you should know what you’re choosing.
FAQ
How much is goods-in-storage insurance actually worth?
Our cover is £5,000 per customer per claim, included in the rent. Privately bought goods-in-storage policies typically cost £80–£200/year for £5k cover, so it’s worth roughly £15–£30 over a 12-week storage period. Built into our price; usually not into a man-with-a-van quote.
Will my home contents insurance cover items in storage?
Usually not. Most household contents policies have an “away from home” clause limited to items you’re carrying in person (laptops, jewellery) and explicitly exclude items in commercial or informal storage. Read your policy or ask your insurer. If your contents cover doesn’t extend to storage, our included £5k matters more.
What’s the actual cost difference over a real storage period?
Typical 12-week stretch: us at £459 all in, man-with-a-van at ~£240. Difference is ~£220. Over 6 months: us at £779, man-with-a-van at ~£480. Difference ~£300. The gap is real but smaller than it looks once you account for the van hire and time you’d otherwise spend driving to a warehouse.
Are you insured for transit damage as well as storage?
Yes — both. Goods-in-transit cover applies while we’re driving the pod, goods-in-storage cover applies while it’s at the depot. Most informal operators have neither, or have one but not the other.
What if I need a VAT invoice for business storage?
We issue VAT invoices automatically via Xero on every booking. If you’re a business storing inventory, archive, or any tax-deductible items, this matters at year-end. Most man-with-a-van operators run below the £90k VAT threshold and can’t issue VAT-recoverable invoices.