Millars Storage policies
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- Protection Plan
Millars Storage Protection Plan
Last updated: November 2026
Your goods must be covered while they are stored with us. You have two simple choices: add the Millars Storage Protection Plan to your licence, or show us proof of your own insurance. This page explains how the plan works, what it covers and how to claim.
Important: the Protection Plan is enhanced liability cover from Millars Storage. It is not an insurance policy, we are not an insurance company, and the plan is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We back the plan with our own business insurance, and the plan is subject to our insurer’s terms and conditions. These terms form part of your storage licence. If anything here differs from your signed licence, the signed licence applies.
Who we are
Millars Storage is the trading name of Tara Coles (“we”, “us”, “our”), at The Studio, Station Road, Cliddesden, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG25 2NL. Contact: Tara Coles, 07734 888326, office@taracoles.co.uk.
Cover is compulsory: your two choices
- Option 1: take the Protection Plan. It is an optional bolt-on. Choose a declared value, and we add the plan charge to your monthly licence fee.
- Option 2: use your own insurance. Send us proof that your goods are insured while stored at Millars Storage (see “Using your own insurance” below).
- We give you access only once one of these is in place and your ID has been checked, and cover must stay in place for as long as your goods are on site.
What the plan does
Without the plan, we are only liable for loss of or damage to your goods if it is caused by our negligence, and then up to £100. When you take the plan, that £100 limit is replaced by your declared value, and we accept responsibility for loss or damage caused by the events listed under “What is covered”, whether or not we were at fault, subject to these terms.
How much it costs
£7.50 a month for every £1,000 of declared value, added to your monthly licence fee and paid in the same way.
| Declared value | Monthly plan charge |
|---|---|
| £1,000 (minimum) | £7.50 |
| £2,000 | £15.00 |
| £5,000 | £37.50 |
| £10,000 | £75.00 |
| £15,000 | £112.50 |
| £20,000 (maximum) | £150.00 |
- Cover is chosen in steps of £1,000, from £1,000 up to £20,000 per unit or container.
- If your goods are worth more than £20,000, please arrange your own insurance for their full value instead.
Declaring the right value
- Your declared value must be the full cost of replacing everything in your unit with new items of the same kind and quality, at today’s prices. It is not what you paid, or what the items would sell for second-hand.
- Business customers: declare what it would cost you to replace your stock, materials and equipment.
- Documents and records: declare only the cost of blank paper or blank storage media. We do not cover the cost of recreating information.
- We do not check or value your goods. Getting the figure right is up to you, so we suggest you keep a simple list and photos of what you store.
- If you add goods or prices rise, please increase your declared value. Email or text us with the new figure. The new charge applies from your next payment date, and the higher cover starts once we confirm it.
- You can lower your declared value in the same way if you take goods out.
If you under-declare
If your goods are worth more than your declared value, any payment is reduced in proportion. This is sometimes called “average”.
Example: Sam’s goods would cost £8,000 to replace new, but Sam declares £4,000, which is half the true value. A storm damages £3,000 of goods, so we pay half: £1,500, less the £100 excess, which is £1,400. If Sam had declared £8,000, we would have paid £2,900.
What is covered
Physical loss of or damage to your goods inside your locked unit or container, caused by:
- fire, lightning, explosion or smoke;
- storm or flood;
- water or oil escaping from burst or leaking pipes, tanks or fixed equipment;
- theft or attempted theft, where there is visible evidence of forced and violent entry to the site, your unit or your container;
- malicious damage, vandalism, riot or civil commotion;
- impact by vehicles, falling trees or aircraft (or things dropped from them);
- earthquake, subsidence or collapse of a building or structure;
- moths, insects or vermin coming from outside your unit or container.
How we settle a claim
- We choose whether to repair, clean, replace or pay you for the lost or damaged items. Where we replace or pay, we use the cost of an equivalent new item, no better than the original.
- The most we pay for any one event is your declared value at the time, after any reduction for under-declaring.
- Each claim has an excess of £100. This is taken off the amount we pay.
- We pay only for the item lost or damaged, not for the rest of a pair or set.
- We may take off any fees you owe us before we pay.
Item limits
These limits apply even if your declared value is higher:
| Type of goods | Most we will pay |
|---|---|
| Any single item, unless you have listed it with us in writing before the loss | £1,500 |
| Art, antiques, collectables, musical instruments and furs (all together) | £2,500 |
| Electronics, such as TVs, computers, games consoles, cameras and phones (all together) | £3,000 |
| Bicycles and e-bikes (each), with any battery stored as set out in our Prohibited Items Policy | £1,000 |
| Documents, papers and data storage | Cost of blank materials only |
What is not covered
The plan does not cover:
- cash, jewellery, watches, precious metals, stamps, bonds or similar valuables (these must not be stored with us);
- motor vehicles of any kind, including cars, motorbikes, quad bikes, boats, caravans and trailers;
- food, drink, plants, perishables and anything that attracts vermin;
- prohibited items, or any loss caused by them (see our Prohibited Items Policy);
- damp, condensation, mould, mildew, rust or corrosion, unless caused directly by one of the covered events above (for example storm water coming through a roof damaged in the same storm);
- wear and tear, gradual deterioration, fading, changes in temperature or humidity, or anything that happens slowly over time;
- mechanical or electrical breakdown, or loss of data, unless the item was also physically damaged by a covered event;
- breakage of fragile items, or crushing from poor packing or stacking, unless caused by a covered event;
- theft without signs of forced and violent entry, including theft by anyone using your padlock key or keypad code;
- loss or damage caused by you, your helpers or anyone you allow on site, or by goods put into storage wet;
- goods left outside your unit or container, or while being moved, loaded or unloaded;
- loss or damage that happens while your plan is suspended (see “If fees are not paid”);
- sentimental value, loss of use, loss of profit or any other indirect loss;
- war, terrorism, nuclear or chemical contamination, cyber events, pandemics, or seizure by any authority;
- anything also covered by another insurance policy, where that policy should pay first.
Extra care in outdoor containers
Our 20ft and 10ft steel containers stand in an outdoor yard. Steel containers are secure and weatherproof, but in cold or changing weather condensation can form inside, and damp can affect goods. Condensation, damp, mould and rust on their own are not covered, so please help protect your goods:
- make sure everything is clean and completely dry before it goes in;
- stand goods on pallets and leave a small gap from the walls and roof so air can move;
- use moisture traps and check and change them regularly, especially in autumn and winter;
- cover items with breathable dust sheets, not plastic sheeting;
- keep any vents clear and keep the doors closed in wet weather;
- do not store food, bird seed or anything that may attract vermin;
- visit regularly, and tell us straight away about any leak, damage or sign of vermin.
Locks and keeping your space secure
- Keep your unit or container locked with a closed-shackle disc padlock at all times, using your own or one bought from us for £60.
- Keep your padlock keys (and, for indoor units, your keypad code) private. Tell us straight away if they are lost or misused.
If fees are not paid
- The plan only stays in place while your licence fees and plan charges are paid.
- If any payment is 14 days late, the plan is suspended until everything owed is paid. While it is suspended, our liability goes back to the £100 negligence limit, and loss or damage that happens during that time is not covered.
- When your licence ends, the plan ends too.
How to make a claim
Our site is unstaffed, so claims are handled remotely by phone and email.
- Keep safe first. If anyone is in danger, or there is a fire or a break-in in progress, call 999.
- Theft or break-in: report it to the police straight away (within 24 hours) and get a crime reference number. Call 101 or report online at police.uk.
- Tell us within 7 days of finding the loss or damage: call Tara on 07734 888326 and email office@taracoles.co.uk with your name, unit or container number, what happened and when.
- Send photos and video of the damage, your unit and any signs of forced entry, before you move or clean anything if it is safe to do so.
- Keep the damaged items until we, or our insurer, say they can be thrown away. Move dry goods away from water or damp to stop further damage.
- Complete our claim form within 30 days. Include a list of what was lost or damaged, its replacement cost, and any receipts, bank records, photos, quotes or repair estimates you have.
- We may visit, view CCTV, appoint a loss adjuster or ask our insurer to deal with your claim. We will acknowledge your claim within 2 working days and keep you updated.
- A claim that is false, exaggerated or dishonest will be refused, and we may end the plan and your licence.
Using your own insurance
If you choose your own insurance, before we give you access please email us a copy of your policy schedule or certificate showing:
- your name as the insured person or business;
- that goods kept in self-storage or a storage container at The Studio, Station Road, Cliddesden, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG25 2NL are covered;
- the sum insured, which must cover the full new replacement value of your goods;
- the cover start and end dates;
- that it covers at least fire, theft with forced entry, storm, flood, escape of water and malicious damage.
Many home insurance policies limit or exclude goods kept in storage, so please check with your insurer. Send us your renewal documents each year. If your insurance ends and we do not receive new proof within 14 days of the end date, we may add the Protection Plan at the value shown in your licence (or £1,000 if none is shown), tell you in writing, and charge it until you send proof. With your own insurance, our liability stays limited to loss caused by our negligence, up to £100.
Changing or cancelling the plan
- You can change your declared value at any time by email or text.
- You can cancel the plan by giving us 7 days’ notice in writing, once you have sent us proof of your own insurance. Plan charges already paid for the current month are not refunded.
- We may change the plan charge or these terms by giving you at least one month’s written notice.
Your legal rights
Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or anything else that cannot legally be limited, and nothing affects your legal rights as a consumer.
Questions or complaints
Please ask Tara on 07734 888326 or office@taracoles.co.uk. If you are unhappy with how a claim is handled, our Complaints Policy explains what to do. Because the plan is not insurance, the Financial Ombudsman Service cannot review it, but you can get free advice from Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133.