HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

How to hire a document storage provider in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers document storage. Your business keeps the data duty: check security, retrieval and destruction.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a document storage provider in five steps

  1. Count the boxesAnd how often you need files back.
  2. Check securityAccess control, logs, fire protection.
  3. Ask about retrievalHow fast, and the cost per request.
  4. Agree destructionCertified destruction when retention ends.
  5. Read the notice termsAnd charges for removing boxes.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses document storage providers in any UK nation. What protects your belongings is goods-in-transit cover, a signed inventory and written terms — and, if they choose to join one, a trade association's code. No law sets the cover for document storage; the contract does. Ask whether your goods are insured by the document storage provider, need your own policy, or are excluded, and what events (fire, flood, theft) are covered.

Get the contract, the insurance limits and the deadline for damage claims in writing. Get the insurance terms and the per-item limit in writing.

Reasonable care and skill

Every service contract includes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; careless handling by the document storage provider that damages your belongings breaks it.

Note any damage on the inventory at unloading, with photographs, before signing. legislation.gov.uk →

Cancelling a storage contract

Storage is not excluded from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, so a document storage contract agreed online, by phone or away from the trader's premises can be cancelled within 14 days; if you start using it sooner, you pay for the time used.

Check the notice period and minimum term as well. legislation.gov.uk →

Personal data in stored files

Gov.uk says a business that stores personal information must keep it secure, accurate and up to date; storing files with a provider does not remove that duty, and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) can fine a business that misuses data.

Ask the document storage provider about security, access logs and certified destruction. gov.uk →

VAT

Storing documents is standard-rated, so a registered document storage provider adds 20% to the price per box each month and to retrieval and destruction charges. Registration becomes compulsory once a document storage provider has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the document storage provider for the VAT number with the agreement and for box rent, retrievals and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“How is the document storage building secured?”

A good answer: Access control, alarms, CCTV and logs.

“How fast can you retrieve a box or file?”

A good answer: A timescale and price.

“Do you destroy documents, with a certificate?”

A good answer: Yes, with a certificate of destruction.

“Who can request our documents?”

A good answer: Named people only, with a log.

“Is the store protected from fire and damp?”

A good answer: Detection and conditions described.

“What does it cost to take boxes out permanently?”

A good answer: A charge in writing.

“What notice ends the document storage?”

A good answer: A period in writing.

Getting the quote right

  • Price per box per month
  • Who actually attends to your boxes: the document storage provider's employed staff, or a subcontracted courier or shredding firm
  • Retrieval and return charges
  • Destruction price and certificate
  • Notice and removal charges
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on box rent, retrievals and destruction

Walk away if

  • No access log
  • No destruction certificate
  • Large exit charges hidden in terms
  • No written contract
LOW
£1
TYPICAL
£2
HIGH
£5

What a document storage provider costs: £1–£5 per box

Document storage is priced per box per month, with collection, retrieval and destruction charged on top. Document Storage price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Document storage providers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. IndexBoxes listed and barcoded.
  2. CollectCollected and logged.
  3. StoreRacked in a secure building.
  4. RetrieveFiles sent on request, logged.
  5. DestroyDestroyed at end of retention, with a certificate.

Retention period
How long a document must be kept.
Certificate of destruction
Proof documents were destroyed.
Retrieval
Getting a box or file back.
Access log
A record of who handled files.
ICO
The Information Commissioner's Office.
Barcode index
Tracking of each box.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the box indexWhat is in each box and its retention date.
File destruction certificatesProof data was destroyed.
Review retention yearlyDestroy what you no longer need.
Close it with a reviewOnce you are happy with the document storage provider's work, review it; if you are not, the make-it-right step comes before the review.

STEP 1Give them the chance to fix itMost problems with the document storage are put right once raised clearly. Ask the document storage provider in writing to redo the faulty part; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that must happen within a reasonable time and at their cost.
STEP 2Make it right through LocufyGive fewer than four stars and you are asked whether the document storage provider should get the chance to fix it first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3A trade body, or Trading StandardsIf the document storage provider belongs to a trade association, use its dispute or ombudsman service. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262) advise and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4If all else failsA dispute with the document storage provider worth up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland or £5,000 in Northern Ireland can go to the small-claims court; fees start at £35 in England and Wales.

Hiring a document storage provider: questions people ask

The law has no licence and no register for document storage providers.

Yes — gov.uk says a business storing personal information must keep it secure.

Roughly £1–£5 a box, typically £2. What you pay depends on the job; the document storage price guide shows why, and the search above finds document storage providers near you.

Ask for the retrieval timescale in the contract.

Yes, ask for a certificate of destruction.

Usually within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, paying for time used.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Office RemovalsHow to hire: Office ClearanceHow to hire: Self StorageHow to hire: Container StorageHow to hire: Furniture StorageHow to hire: WEEE / Electronics DisposalHow to hire: Home RemovalsHow to hire: Man with a VanAll 701 hiring guides →

Document storage providers near you

Document storage providers in LondonDocument storage providers in ManchesterDocument storage providers in BirminghamDocument storage providers in GlasgowDocument storage providers in BelfastAll document storage providers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  3. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  4. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  5. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  6. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register