Why Do Students Need Storage Over the Summer?
Most student tenancies in Newcastle end in late June or early July and the next one doesn’t start until September, leaving a two to three month gap where students have nowhere to keep their belongings. Newcastle University, Northumbria University, and Newcastle College together host tens of thousands of students, the majority of whom rent in Heaton, Jesmond, Sandyford, Fenham, or the city centre. Standard tenancies are 12 months, but exam periods finish in May and most contracts end six to ten weeks later — well before the new academic year begins. International students often go home for the summer. UK students return to family but rarely have room for a year’s worth of furniture, books, kitchen kit, and clothing. Driving everything 200 miles down the M1 just to drive it back in September is expensive, exhausting, and risks damage in transit. A personal storage container at EXO in Cramlington gives students a secure, affordable place to leave everything in the city, ready to be collected when the new term starts.
How Much Cheaper Is Storage Than Shipping Belongings Home?
For most students, a few months of self-storage in Cramlington works out significantly cheaper than the combined cost of removals, fuel, insurance, and time spent moving belongings to and from a family home in another part of the country. Hiring a removal van for a one-way trip from Newcastle to London, Manchester, or the South Coast typically runs into hundreds of pounds before fuel. Couriering boxes through services like Hermes or Parcelforce adds up quickly when you’ve got 15 boxes plus furniture. International shipping for students from outside the UK is in another league entirely — sending belongings home to Europe, Asia, or North America for the summer is usually completely impractical. Splitting a container at EXO between two or three flatmates brings the per-person cost down to a level that competes with even short-stay luggage storage services in central Newcastle, and you get vastly more space and 24/7 access for the price.
Can Students Share a Storage Container to Save Money?
Yes — sharing a container with flatmates or course-mates is one of the most common and cost-effective ways students use EXO Storage during the summer break. A typical container easily holds the contents of a three or four-bed student house: beds, desks, chairs, kitchen equipment, books, clothes, and the inevitable pile of half-used cleaning products. Splitting the cost three or four ways makes it far cheaper than each person paying for separate storage elsewhere. Practically, we recommend deciding before you move in who has the key and fob, agreeing how items will be labelled (colour-coded boxes work well), and taking photos of how things are stacked so nothing gets lost or damaged. With 24/7 access via electronic fob entry, each housemate can visit independently whenever they need to drop something off or pick something up. Our minimum hire is just one week, and contracts roll monthly — perfect for a summer-only arrangement that ends as soon as you move into your next student house.
What Should Students Pack for Summer Storage?
Pack anything you won’t need over the summer: bedding, kitchen equipment, books and folders, winter clothes, posters and decorations, bulky items like printers and lamps, and any furniture you’ve bought rather than rented. Most student houses across Newcastle come part-furnished, but students typically accumulate a surprising amount of their own kit by the end of a year — a desk lamp, an ergonomic chair, a microwave, an extra bookshelf, a clothes rail, a TV. All of this can sit safely in storage at EXO while you’re away. The things to keep with you are anything you’ll actively use over the summer (a couple of changes of clothes, your laptop, important paperwork, your phone charger) and anything irreplaceable (passport, certificates, family items, expensive jewellery). Don’t store food, perishables, or anything battery-powered without removing the batteries first. For tips on protecting belongings from damp and condensation — especially relevant for books, electronics, and bedding — read our winter storage tips guide. The same principles apply year-round.
Is It Easy to Get to EXO Storage from the Universities?
Yes — EXO Storage is in Cramlington, a 20 to 25 minute drive north of Newcastle city centre via the A1, with direct access from both Newcastle University and Northumbria University campuses. By car, the journey is straightforward: north on the A1 from the city, exit at Cramlington, and you’re at the site in minutes. Black cabs, Uber, and Bolt all serve the area and can be split between flatmates to keep the cost down on move-in and move-out days. Local removal services across Newcastle, including student-friendly van-and-man services on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, regularly run from the universities to Cramlington and back. Public transport is less convenient — Cramlington has a railway station with services from Newcastle Central, but you’ll need a car or van for the actual loading and unloading, so most students arrange a one-off van hire or a Man with a Van booking for the move itself.
How Do You Book Student Storage at EXO?
Booking is straightforward — contact us through our contact form or by phone, tell us roughly when you need the container and for how long, and we’ll get you set up quickly, often within 24 to 48 hours. We’ll explain the size options, give you a quote, and arrange a time for you to come and collect your key and electronic fob. On first hire, you pay the first month in advance plus a refundable £25 + VAT key deposit. After that, we invoice monthly with payment by Direct Debit, BACS, or card. When summer ends and you’re ready to move into your new place, simply collect everything from the container, return the key and fob, and any unused days beyond the minimum one-week period are refunded. There’s no long-term contract, no credit check, and no penalty if your plans change. For students used to dealing with letting agents and complicated tenancy paperwork, the simplicity is a genuine relief.
Why Choose EXO Storage?
- Cheaper than shipping belongings home for the summer
- Share with flatmates to split the cost
- 24/7 access via electronic fob — visit whenever suits you
- Minimum one-week hire, no long-term contract
- 20–25 minutes from Newcastle and Northumbria universities
