What to Do When You Have a Gap Between Your Old Lease and Your New Lease
Ideally, when one lease is up, you will be able to move into your new home on the same day. However, housing does not always work that well. If you find yourself with a gap of time between the end of your current lease and the start of your new one or between the sale of your home and when you will be able to move into your new one, you need to do something with all of your stuff.
A large storage unit is the perfect solution when you have a housing gap and you need somewhere to put your stuff. Storage units allow for short-term leases that last only a month for this type of transitional situations.
#1 Pack Up What You Need Right Now
To start with, you are going to want to pack a few boxes of items that you need right now. Or you can pack up your suitcases if you have some. If you will be staying with friends, renting an Airbnb, or staying in a hotel in between your two leases, you are still going to need a few items.
Try to keep things simple. Pack up the clothing that you will need to wear over the next few weeks. Pack up the bathroom items you will need to use. Maybe keep out pillows, a set of sheets, and blankets. Keep it as simple as possible, as these are items you are going to be hauling around with you.
#2 Clean Everything Up
Before you start packing up your home, clean everything up. Vacuum and wipe down all of your furniture items. Wash all the clothing, towels, and blankets that you will be putting in storage. Putting clean items in storage will help ensure that your items do not get damaged or attract pests while they are in storage.
#3 Label Everything Really Well
When packing, you are going to want to label everything really well. As there is going to be a gap of time between moving out of your old house, putting things in storage, and moving into your new home, don't rely on your memory to remember how you packed up all of your boxes.
On each box, write a list of what is inside of it. This is easiest if you just write down what you put in the box on the lid as you pack. Then, put the name of the room on the box. If the items came from something such as your linen closet, put the room the items would be associated with. For example, for bedding, put bedroom; and for towels, put bathroom.
Since you are going to essentially be moving your items twice, you should number the boxes as well and keep a master list of how many boxes you have for each room in your home. This will help ensure that you keep track of all of your boxes and don't lose or misplace a box.
#4 Pack the Storage Unit in an Orderly Fashion
As you pack up the storage unit, do so in an orderly fashion. Think about how you will need to pack the moving van when you move into your new place. Do you want to pack all the boxes first into the moving van? If so, put them near the front of the storage unit. If you want to pack up the furniture first in the moving truck, put those items near the front. Try to pack up the storage unit in the opposite order that you want to pack up the moving truck. Items in the back of the truck go to the front of the storage unit and vice-versa. Being smart about how you pack up the storage unit will make it easier to pack and move to your new home when it's ready.