It is not because of the price that you are looking twice. It is the quantity of processes to go through before leasing a storage facility in Hong Kong. Not difficult things, just. not what you think you could do – read this site for more info!
You do not just walk in, point at a space and have your stuff into it.
Most of the destinations start online. You buy areas of spaces which are weirdly abstract–square feet will not do until you are in one. The initial occasion when I was mistaken. Reserved something too small, noticed that it was too small halfway during the packing stage, and had to upgrade even before trying to move a single box.
Surprisingly, that was not difficult.
All of it was somewhat irritating. ID-checks, deposits, short-term contract, sometimes insurances, which are not mentioned except where you indicate the same. Nothing is difficult but it adds up. You come in assuming that it is going to be 10 minutes and walk out an hour later.
Next there is access setup. Cards, PIN, even an application. One of these provided me with three modes of entry, and this seemed impressive until I lost track of which of these one I was expected to approach the door.
The day of the move-in in itself is smooth or a bit chaotic.
It is almost too easy in case the facility is modern. Waiting trolleys, hard-working lifts. You start wondering what made you get so stressed over it. However, in old structures it is another matter. No one could get any space between the individuals in the lift, which was full, waiting someone to move furniture.
This does not mean that renting storage in Hong Kong is not a complex task, i.e. not easily comprehensible. It is more of a rub-a-dub. Minor distractions that hold you back. A shape, a law, an item you did not happen to enquire.
Billing is one of the details that people do not pay attention to. The monthly fees are not difficult to master and the wheels do not necessarily spin round as you roll. You can even pay additional days which you had not intended. Nothing so bad, that kind of stuff that leaks along.
Then there is the process of exit. You would have guessed that it is easy to move out by just emptying the unit and relocate. Sometimes it is. There is a need to sometimes provide a notice, submit access cards, await deposits to be refunded. Nothing dramatic, and yet not instant as well.
As soon as one reads it more than once, the process becomes a predictable one. Not so easy at the beginning, but it is not difficult when in the flow.
The biggest surprise? It is not as hard as it is expected. The concept of renting a storage in Hong Kong is not bad and you do not sail through it as easily as you might imagine initially.