Self storage facility insurance
General advice only. It does not consider your business's objectives, financial situation or needs. Cover depends on the insurer's policy wording, which you will receive before you decide.
What we can arrange
Each part of a storage business carries its own risks. We arrange cover from insurers for most of them. Workers' compensation depends on your state or territory. What a policy includes depends on the insurer and the policy.
- Property insurance For the buildings and site your storage business runs from.
- Business contents insurance For your facility's own equipment, fit-out and office contents.
- Business interruption insurance For income lost when an insured event stops your facility trading.
- Workers' compensation insurance For the people who keep your facility running.
Public liability is also part of the business insurance application.
Goods in transit and marine cover
General advice only. It does not consider your business's objectives, financial situation or needs. Cover depends on the insurer's policy wording, which you will receive before you decide.
Have these details ready
- Your businessWho is insured, and the cover period you want.
- Insured names, ABN and email
- Any additional insureds and their facilities
- The period of insurance and your proposed excess
- Any claims in the last three to five years
- Site and securityHow your facility runs from day to day.
- When the facility was established
- Number of storage units and any shipping containers
- Security arrangements and customer access hours
- Whether the site is attended
- Construction and fire protectionWhat your buildings are made of, and how they are protected.
- Year of construction
- Wall, floor and roof construction, including any insulated sandwich panel (EPS)
- Town (mains) water supply
- Extinguishers, hose reels, smoke detection and sprinklers
- Sums insuredThe amounts you want to insure each part of your property for.
- Buildings and shipping containers
- Contents and stock
- Removal of debris and theft
- Any specified items, and whether you want glass cover
- Business interruptionThe figures behind your income, if you want this cover.
- Gross profit and revenue
- Additional increased cost of working
- Claims preparation costs
- The indemnity period, in months
- Liability and operationsYour public liability needs, and how the site is used.
- The public liability limit you want
- Turnover for the past 12 months, and anticipated turnover
- Storage contract terms, including hazardous goods
- Other activities, businesses or vehicle storage on site
General advice only. It does not consider your business's objectives, financial situation or needs. Cover depends on the insurer's policy wording, which you will receive before you decide.
The application also asks about tax audit cover and ends with a signed declaration. Workers' compensation is not part of it: see workers' compensation insurance.
Your insurance.
Their belongings.
Your business insurance
Arranged from insurers for your facility, in your business's name.
- Your buildings and site
- Your own contents, equipment and stock
- Income lost after an insured event
- Public liability, and workers' compensation in some states and territories
What each policy includes depends on the insurer and the policy wording.
Your customers' goods
SSIA Storage Insurance, taken out by each customer.
- Available to customers of SSIA approved facilities
- Bought online through the SSIA portal
- In the customer's own name, for goods inside their storage unit
- Covers the customer named in the policy, not the facility
Questions owners ask
Plain answers about facility cover. The insurer's policy wording has the detail.
What cover can SSIA arrange for my facility?
We arrange cover from insurers for self storage owners and operators. Depending on the insurer and policy, that may include property, business contents, business interruption, public liability and workers' compensation. The insurer's policy wording sets out what each cover includes and excludes.
Does my business insurance cover my customers' goods?
Your business insurance is arranged for your facility, and what it includes depends on the insurer and policy. Your customers can insure their own goods with SSIA Storage Insurance if your facility is SSIA approved. That policy is in the customer's name and covers them, not your facility.
Is workers' compensation part of the application?
No. The business insurance application covers property, contents, business interruption and public liability. Workers' compensation schemes differ between states and territories, so it is a separate enquiry. Our workers' compensation page explains how to get in touch.
Why does the application ask about construction and fire protection?
Insurers use details such as building materials, insulated sandwich panel, water supply, fire equipment and security to assess a facility. The application opens with an important notice about your duty of disclosure, so read it before you answer.
What happens after I apply?
We review your details and use them to seek cover for your business from insurers. Any offer depends on the insurer's assessment, and you receive the insurer's policy wording before you decide.
Tell us about your facility.
Apply for business insurance, become an approved facility, or email storesafe@ssia.au with a question first.
General advice only. It does not consider your business's objectives, financial situation or needs. Cover depends on the insurer's policy wording, which you will receive before you decide.
Storing your own goods? See Goods in Storage insurance