Public Storage Review

Bottom line: Public Storage is one of the best storage companies. It gets the self-storage industry’s best customer reviews and has tons of storage space. Plus, extended hours make it easy to access your storage unit all week.

See where Public Storage ranks on our list of the best self-storage companies.

• How Public Storage compares
• Public Storage pricing
• What we like
• Features and services
• Our recommendation
• FAQ
• Methodology
• Recommended resources

Public Storage has more total square feet of storage space than any other storage facility company. And despite above-average prices, it gets Move.org’s second-highest overall rating.

The average Public Storage unit cost is approximately $210 monthly. Prices range from $70 per month for a regular small storage space to $310 for a large climate-controlled unit. You can also purchase moving supplies from your property manager. All Public Storage rental contracts are month-to-month (you can cancel anytime).

Rent is due on the first of each month. However, the public storage late payment grace period gives you until the seventh of each month to pay. After that, you must pay Public Storage late fees.

According to the Public Storage late fee policy,  there’s a $20 late fee if your unit costs less than $100 monthly or a 20% late fee if your storage space costs $100 or more. To avoid running afoul of the Public Storage grace period, always make sure to pay a few days ahead of time.

Public Storage accepts payment via checks, debit cards, credit cards, and cash. Most payments go through the company’s online payment system. However, Public Storage accepts in-person payments during office hours.

Note: Public Storage is our second-favorite storage unit company. However, it also comes with one significant drawback: its prices. Public Storage is typically about 15% more expensive than the self-storage industry average. That means the average storage rental shakes out to about $20 extra per month. We’ll walk through the company’s pros and cons so you can determine whether the higher price is worth it.

Public Storage gets higher review scores than any other company in the self-storage industry. Even more impressive? Not only does Public Storage have the best reviews, but it also has the most. Nearly 45,000 customers awarded Public Storage 4.5 out of 5 stars in this case.

Positive reviews often mention friendly Public Storage customer service, clean units, and a great experience.

You should never trust someone else’s account of Public Storage reviews—not even us. We’ve done the industry’s most robust research by comparing trends among nearly 50,000 Public Storage reviews. And the math doesn’t lie: all those customers gave the company an average rating of 4.5 stars for meeting their storage needs.

But it’s also important to note that it’s an average. For example, most customers are thrilled with their Public Storage experience. But some come away spitting nails and give a big, fat, zero-star rating. Nevertheless, we like Public Storage because its customer review score is high even after accounting for low ratings.

That’s a legit callout. But you shouldn’t just take our word for it. Instead, spend some time reading Public Storage reviews on the internet. Get a feel for what customers like and see what makes them angry. Compare it to what we tell you, and then decide if you feel comfortable moving forward.

You can rent an impressive array of storage spaces at Public Storage. While storage sizes vary by location, most Public Storage facilities come with at least seven standard sizes. You can also pick from a wide selection of vehicle storage spaces.

More importantly, it’s the nation’s largest storage provider. Public Storage is to self-storage what U-Haul is to rental trucks. It dominates the industry. (The only difference is that while U-Haul customers typically come away disgruntled, Public Storage renters award nearly perfect review scores.)

Most Public Storage locations are open every day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. That’s a big step up from some storage companies that restrict access to traditional business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Plus, with the Public Storage app, you don’t have to worry about calling the front desk or remembering a keycode. Instead, simply scan a code on your app, and the gate opens. The app is a great perk that adds to the benefit of extended access hours.

Want easy access to your storage unit?

Public Storage has nearly a dozen storage unit sizes for customers who need a place to keep their belongings. In addition to traditional units, Public Storage also provides access to specialized climate-controlled units and has vehicle storage options that can fit motorcycles, cars, boats, RVs, and oversized vehicles.

Public Storage offers self-storage unit insurance through the Orange Door Storage Insurance Program. Details may vary by state, but the program typically provides $5,000 worth of coverage for a monthly cost of $15 . The insurance protects against several perils, including:

• Fire
• Hail
• Lightning
• Smoke
• Vandalism
• Water
• Flood and windstorm
• Burglary
• Vermin and fungus (limited coverage)

 Consult your Certificate of Insurance for a complete list.

Public Storage made a huge leap in our rankings from 2021 to 2022 . In 2022, the self-storage company didn’t even make our list of the best storage unit companies. But in 2023, Public Storage nearly took the top spot from the self-storage industry leader, Extra Space Storage.

We’d like to say that Public Storage upped its game. But the reality is that we did a deeper research dive. We analyzed nearly twice the number of prices and 10 times the total customer reviews. That resulted in reconsidering the value Public Storage brings to the table (spoiler alert: it’s substantial).

Two things stand out from our latest Public Storage analysis (one good and one bad):

1. The good. Public Storage went from having average review scores to leading the industry. This is almost certainly because we exponentially increased the number of reviews in our analysis. As it stands, Public Storage’s average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars is higher than many other self-storage companies.
2. The bad. Public Storage got (a lot) more expensive. It was already about 5% above average in 2021. However, while many other companies bit the bullet and cut costs, Public Storage went the other way. Our analysis of approximately 3,500 quotes shows that Public Storage now costs roughly 15% more than the industry average. 

It’s tough to find a reason not to like Public Storage. Customers love it. Public Storage ran away with the popularity contest prize when we analyzed thousands of customer reviews.

The company is the nation’s largest storage provider, giving you access to nearly a dozen popular sizes of standard and vehicle storage spaces. It’s one of the best storage companies.

On the downside, Public Storage costs about $30 extra. But, in this case, the high prices mean high quality. We recommend Public Storage if you’re okay with the additional cost.

See why customers give Public Storage excellent reviews

Public Storage is the highest-rated self-storage facility in the United States. In addition, customers give Public Storage even better review scores than Extra Space Storage, Move.org’s top storage pick.

You likely need a climate-controlled storage solution if you have items like furniture and electronics that are easily damaged by extreme temperatures. Our list of the best climate-controlled self-storage companies is an excellent place to start.

Your storage unit size should be big enough for your belongings. Most small storage units can fit about one room’s worth of stuff. Medium units typically hold belongings for up to three rooms, while large units hold up to five.

The benefits of choosing Public Storage are threefold. First, Move.org rates Public Storage as one of the nation’s best self-storage companies. Second, no storage company gets better customer reviews. And lastly, Public Storage has more storage space than any other storage option.

The average customer pays about $180 monthly for storage. However, storage costs can go up or down depending on the size of your unit and whether you opt for higher-priced climate-controlled storage units.

Yes. You will have until the seventh of each month to make your payment within the grace period. According to the Public Storage late payment policy, the Public Storage late fee amount is $20 for units under $100 monthly or 20% of the unit cost for those above $100 per month.

Check your rental agreement. Laws vary by state, but it is common to get the locks cut (and for your items to be auctioned) when you fall a month or longer behind on your payments.

Move.org follows a five-step process to identify the nation’s best moving container companies:

1. Compare quotes. We collected over 100 quotes from seven of the nation’s largest moving container companies to identify pricing trends.
2. Mystery shopp. We do a top-to-bottom analysis of each company’s website and even call posing as customers. It helps us get a feel for what real-life customers experience.
3. Analyze reviews. We read dozens of reviews for each company to see what most impresses (and turns off) customers. We also ran the numbers for more than 16,000 total reviews to calculate an industry customer review average.
4. Hold site visits. We invite industry experts and company executives to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. We grill them on everything from pricing and customer reviews to insurance coverage and the latest industry trends.
5. Complete an annual review. Every year, we repeat the process to ensure that our list of the best moving container companies stays current. That means things like our top recommendations and industry prices may change from year to year.

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