Sea-changers, land shortage and rental crisis creates huge demand for Warrnambool's self-storage units

Storage at Gateway owner Harrison Macklin said demand for his units was so high the business must now dramatically increase capacity.

"With the huge demand we are experiencing for storage sheds, we are currently building 40 more to be ready early 2022," Mr Macklin said.

"We are experiencing at least 15-20 inquiries a week looking for both short and long-term storage. We also have various businesses and trades using storage sheds too - not just a residential shortage.

"The shortage is a sign of the times with smaller blocks and sea changers moving to the area, people don't necessarily have the room to build storage sheds. Mind you the demand for storage has been consistent from the get-go."

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Mr Macklin is not alone in his plans for expansion.

Data obtained from the Self Storage Association of Australasia indicated the high demand for storage was nation-wide with average occupancy greater than 88 per cent.

"There are significant levels of new self storage supply forecast across many metropolitan and regional markets in 2022 which should absorb some of the demand," a SSAA spokesperson said.

"The demand for self storage is driven by a range of factors including change of life events, the housing market, population growth and disruption.

"High housing turnover volumes have also contributed to increased demand for self storage."

Warrnambool resident Julie O'Connor experienced first-hand how difficult it was to find a place to store her family's belongings while looking for rental properties.

Her son, 27, had been homeless for more than two years after he was evicted from his Garden Street home in September 2019, while her daughter also struggled to find a property.

"I somehow got two storage units and I tell you what, without them my children would have lost everything," she said.

"Without those storage units, I'd be stuffed. You can't afford to replace everything and buy it all new again.

"I get a lot of my stuff from the op shop and places like that but people might have valuable things they want to put away. To me it's been a god-send.

"There's a real shortage of storage sheds because so many people are becoming homeless.

"The guy I rent through said they're making a killing with the storage units at the moment because everybody wants one and there's a lot of demand for them but they're all full."

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