The problem of access to housing has become one of the great concerns of society. Not being able to rent (let alone buy) a house impacts other aspects of life, from mental health to the way we relate, and even the way cities are evolving, with an increase in businesses arising as a direct consequence. of that housing crisis. This is the case of storage rooms, whose supply and demand has increased considerably in recent years. “This is a relatively new phenomenon in Spain, but not in other countries,” explains Irene Lebrusán, doctor in Sociology and professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, something that she relates to the “increase in shared housing.” That is, people who live in rooms and have very limited space. “Especially for those who have previously had access to other types of housing and now have to move to a shared one, the storage room is the resource, not optimal, because it is not (shared housing is another manifestation of the housing problem), but for some it is the only possibility there is,” he explains. The exorbitant price of apartments forces a good part of the population to look for apartments with a smaller surface area and, therefore, less storage space. The desperation of some and the greed and lack of scruples of others has even given rise to storage rooms being offered as homes, when their use should be exclusive to storing belongings.More informationBut in addition to the storage rooms of individuals and for individuals, located at Generally in the same building as the home, storage spaces managed by companies and aimed at other types of clientele and even intended for small and medium-sized companies are gaining more and more importance. From the Spanish Self Storage Association (AESS) they corroborate the growth of the storage room network in Spain: “When we closed the study in February 2024, we had 352 centers in the Spanish Self Storage Association providing services in Spain, especially in Catalonia, Community of Madrid and Andalusia. Currently, in October 2024, we have 380 associated centers operating with AESS quality guarantee and six more brands studying the Spanish market and who are associated as provisional members to learn more about the business in Spain,» indicates Sole Martínez, manager of the association.In addition to storage rooms owned by individuals and for individuals, generally located in the same building as the home, storage spaces managed by companies are gaining more and more importance. Eric Audras (Getty Images/Onoky)Óscar Larrea, vice president of operations at Spain of the real estate agency Evernest, indicates an increase of between 15% and 20%, according to data from the main operators of this type of assets. “This increase reflects the growing interest in both purchasing and renting,” says Larrea. Among the operators with the largest number of stores there are companies such as Bluespace, I need a storage room or Homebox. However, despite the growth of the sector, brand awareness of storage rooms among the Spanish population is low compared to other European countries. This is reflected in its latest report, published in October, by the European Federation of Storage Associations (Fedessa), which also links “the competitive real estate sector in European capitals” with the highest proportion of respondents who consider “using storage spaces ”. According to Fedessa, in Spain 21% of those surveyed said they had thought about using a storage room, compared to 64% who had never considered it and 16% who had rented it on occasion.
Many more storage rooms but far from the bubble
When renting an apartment with a storage room in a city like Madrid or Barcelona (where a good part of the supply is concentrated), the monthly payment can be increased between 50 and 100 euros «depending on the location and local demand,» Larrea clarifies. . “In more peripheral areas or smaller cities, the increase is usually lower, around 30 to 50 euros per month.” The same happens with storage rooms for sale, whose price ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 euros in smaller cities or rural areas, and with figures that exceed «15,000 euros in high demand areas» of cities. of more population. “This panorama reflects the growing value that storage rooms have acquired in the real estate market in recent years,” Larrea rounds off. Even so, it does not seem likely that these will create a new bubble within the real estate sector: “Let us not forget that the housing bubble continues because we are talking about a basic good, essential for the development or the achievement of any other human right, and That is why this problem can occur around housing prices and so on. Storage rooms are not going to have the same demand because not everyone needs them,” recalls Lebrusán. Martínez acknowledges that there is “a lot of interest” from investors in search of new business opportunities “but the cost of the initial investment and the time necessary to reach the point of balance between income and expenses makes some companies that are investigating discard this possibility».
Short and long term clients
Apart from permanent users, there is a high percentage of clientele that rents storage rooms on an ad hoc basis, whether to store furniture during a renovation, students or professionals with space problems displaced from their city for a limited time, small businesses in need of micro-warehouses… In this sense, AESS points out that «historically, there was a proportion of 70% private customers and 30% self-employed workers and small businesses», but «today, companies highly value the services offered by self-storage, becoming “variable expense what was previously fixed.”
The exorbitant price of apartments forces a good part of the population to look for apartments with a smaller surface area and with it, less space for storage.Tony Anderson (Getty Images)Of course, when it comes to storing things, certain rules must be followed: “ Customers sign a contract specifying which products are prohibited from being stored due to safety, health and legal compliance issues. Restrictions may vary depending on local regulations and operator policies, but in general, the following products are usually prohibited: hazardous materials such as flammable substances, illegal substances such as drugs or counterfeit products, food and perishable products, and living beings such as animals and plants,” Martínez lists. Storage rooms are part of those businesses that emerge to satisfy needs motivated, among other things, by the housing crisis. Another representative example linked to this problem is the boom in self-service laundries. Until a few years ago, these establishments barely existed in the cities, but currently it is an expanding business present in more and more districts. Labrusán maintains that, above all, «they have increased in very gentrified, tourist-filled neighborhoods, especially in Madrid, in neighborhoods where students live, and also in neighborhoods that are very impoverished.» That is, the two main mechanisms by which this increase in sharing a flat occurs: students who come temporarily to Spain, but also people who cannot establish a home and cannot pay a full rent, according to the expert.No having a washing machine at home, trying to save on the electricity bill, looking for a way to wash large items of clothing (coats, duvets, curtains…) that are difficult to dry in small homes… are other reasons. that have accelerated the development of these businesses, also benefiting from tourism. Will storage rooms enjoy similar popularity? The phenomenon has just taken shape, but several years of continuous growth have already been accumulated and the openings are constant. At the moment, according to recent data from Fedessa, Spain is the fourth European country with the largest market share, behind the United Kingdom, France and Germany.