Life Storage 2024 Review

Bottom line: Life Storage has some of the best customer service in the business and has expanded its locations, but it’s a little more expensive than its competitors.

See where Life Storage ranks on our Best Storage Unit Companies piece.

Life Storage is one of our top self-storage companies. While it will cost you a little more money,  you will receive great customer service and clean facilities with top security.

Life Storage costs about $230 per month (not including a one-time $25 administrative fee)—or about 15% more than the industry average. Move.org analyzed nearly 800 Life Storage quotes and found that its climate-controlled storage units typically cost about $30  more than standard storage units.

It's $242 for the average climate control unit for Life Storage

Storage unit costs depend on a few things:

• Size. Smaller units (often used for boxes) are more affordable than larger ones (typically used for boxes, furniture, and appliances).
• Climate control. Expect to pay about $30 more per month to rent a climate-controlled storage unit with Life Storage. (These units offer increased protection for items like furniture and photographs that can be damaged by weather and humidity.)
• You can get a great deal if there are lots of available units—or you might pay more if there are only a few open spots.
• Online sales. You can almost always save money by looking for deals and ordering online (in-store reservations cost more).
• Extra fees. Life Storage charges a one-time $25 administration fee and requires insurance (starting at $12 per month). You also have to pay your state sales tax. All of these fees add about $50 to your bill.

Want to save money with online deals?

Life Storage gets some of the best customer reviews in the business. While the average storage facility pulls in only 3.5 out of 5 stars, Life Storage scores 4.6 stars—more than a full star higher. Customers frequently rave about Life Storage’s incredible customer service, cleanliness, and security of its units.

Life Storage isn’t cheap. Its average price of $230 per month is about 15% (or $50) higher than the industry average. At the same time, high prices often indicate better quality. Life Storage’s top-notch customer reviews back that up. An extra $50 per month is a lot, but customers seem to think it’s worth the money.

While it isn’t the largest storage facility around, Life Storage has grown over the past year. The company expanded from about 800 locations in 2021 to nearly 1100 in 2022. Even with its considerable expansion, Life Storage has the second-fewest locations of all of the storage companies we reviewed.

Life Storage offers coverage plans beginning at $12 per month. Coverage details vary by location, so check with a Life Storage on-site manager to learn more. Life Storage also allows you to use your homeowners insurance if you provide a copy of your policy declaration page that details your storage unit coverage (contact your homeowners insurance agent for more information).

Life Storage puts a premium on security. You can often tell when companies care about security because their websites explain exactly how they keep your stuff safe. Life Storage’s security page details several attractive features:

• Digital surveillance system. Life Storage has 24-hour video surveillance. Rather than using old-fashioned videotape storage, Life Storage uses digital storage that preserves high-quality video and lowers the risk of blank spots (from switching out tapes).
• Life Storage lights the exterior of its storage buildings to scare away thieves and uses motion-activated lights inside your unit so that you’re never in the dark.
• Life Storage says it uses the best storage unit locks in the industry. While we haven’t compared these locks to our top locks for self-storage, we think it’s a good sign Life Storage talks about locks on its website (many companies don’t mention security at all). Locks can be purchased on-site, or you can bring your own.
• Password protection. You’ll receive a unique password that you must enter into an electronic keypad to enter a Life Storage facility. This security feature lets Life Storage limit who can access the facility and gives Life Storage the ability to track every person who enters and exits the storage buildings.

Life Storage has its own moving trucks that customers can rent to transport their belongings to and from their homes. It’s a great perk for people who are moving within the same city. Rather than rent a truck from a separate company like Penske or Budget, you can get your truck and storage unit at the same place. The convenience is a lifesaver if you feel stressed out or short on time during your move.

New customers (at participating locations) get their Life Storage truck rentals at a discount. Life Storage confusingly says rental trucks are both free for new customers—and available for only $19.95. You’ll want to check with your local Life Storage facility to find which is true in your case, but even at the $19.95 rate, new customers save a few bucks.

For other customers, Life Storage charges fees comparable to the best truck rental companies, including a $29.95 rental fee, $.0.89 per mile mileage fee, and $19.95 Collision Damage Waiver (an insurance term that refers to coverage for a rental vehicle).

Life Storage has a virtual storage unit size estimator that lets you visualize what fits instead of trying to imagine it. For example, if you convert a bedroom to an office after your child moves to college, you can use the tool to see if you need a 5 x 10 or 5 x 15-foot unit for their stuff. It’s a helpful feature if you want to “see” inside the unit without going to the self-storage facility.

Life Storage is one of our best self-storage companies. There’s no denying its strengths as a customer-minded and security-forward company. Life Storage’s strengths are legit—but so are its weaknesses (high prices and relatively few locations). We recommend Life Storage primarily if you put a premium on customer service and security.

Are security and customer service your top needs?

Life Storage has vehicle units for all kinds of vehicles ranging from compact cars to oversized RVs (depending on availability).The company’s outdoor vehicle units cost about $242 per month.

No, you can’t rent a storage space from Life Storage on Craigslist. Life Storage allows you to reserve a storage space online or at the store. Move.org recommends you rent your unit online to save money (online prices are cheaper than in-store reservations).

Yes, Life Storage charges monthly. Talk to a customer service rep at your location to set up automatic payments.

Life Storage typically charges a late fee five days after the payment due date. The storage company says that it follows all state laws governing fees for late payments.

You can cancel your Life Storage rental by removing your items from the unit and notifying the front desk. You don’t need to give advance notice. As long as you’re caught up on payments, you won’t be charged any more.

No, you can’t store food in a storage unit at Life Storage. The storage company takes cleanliness seriously and also prohibits containers that previously contained food. Read more about some items you can’t put in your storage unit.

Based on our score, Public Storage (4.6 out of 5) ranks higher than Life Storage (3.6 out of 5). Public Storage has nearly twice as many locations and slightly lower prices, but Life Storage and Public Storage both have high customer ratings.

Yes, Life Storage has boat storage. Depending on the size of your boat, it may fit into one of Life Storage’s vehicle units that range from 20 to 30 feet long.

Looking for the company with the best customer reviews?

Move.org calculates industry averages and identifies pricing trends by following a fivefold research approach:

1. Compare quotes. We collected more than 3,500 quotes from 8 different companies in 5 cities. We analyzed prices with and without climate control for more than a dozen storage unit sizes.
2. Analyze reviews. We looked for patterns among storage companies’ customer reviews to ensure our analysis considers what customers think.
3. Mystery shopping. We called companies posing as customers and visited select storage facilities in person.
4. Research. We researched industry features, services, and requirements such as storage unit insurance, company discounts, climate control specifications, and security details.
5. Annual calendar. We repeat this process every year and save our data so that we can compare trends over time.

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• What Is Climate Control?
• What's the Cheapest Way to Move?

Life Storage, FAQ. Accessed November 22, 2022.