Few people know this, but storing things in your garage can be very expensive.
Whether we live in 150 or 35 square meters, we never find enough space in our house or apartment to store all the things that accumulate over the years. Bikes, scooters, beach toys and games, clothes, shoes, tools, cleaning products and even certain pieces of furniture that you are reluctant to part with can take up a lot of space, especially if, like a certain number of French people, you have the habit of putting off the big cleaning day until tomorrow. But unless you live in a castle, there comes a time when the storage limit is full and you have to think about taking action! Sort through and give to loved ones or associations objects that sometimes no longer serve any purpose? Sell them on the internet to get some money? Some do, others prefer to find another place to store their Ali Baba cave.
For those who own one, the cellar is ideal, but it too can quickly become too narrow. For others, it is logically the garage which serves as a shed. If it is primarily designed to accommodate a car or a motorcycle, it is in the garage that we are used to storing all the sometimes bulky objects that we don’t really know where to put. Problem, storage in a garage is not authorized everywhere! It actually depends on the type of home you live in.
For a little more than one in two French people, namely those who live in a detached house, piling up belongings in their garage is completely authorized. It’s different for others, those who live in buildings and who share a collective garage. Whether you are an owner or tenant, you should know that it is prohibited to store equipment in an underground garage located below the dwellings. If you are in doubt, we advise you to take a look at the regulations of your co-ownership which will certainly mention “use for parking only.” Why this ban? This responds to a decree dated January 31, 1986 on the risks of fire in underground car parks.
Concretely, the co-ownership insurance is exempt from any fire started by any object (liquid, tires, clothes, etc.) other than those authorized to park in the garage, namely motorized vehicles. The owner or tenant will therefore be held responsible if part of the parking lot burns because of the objects they store. Depending on the damage caused, the bill can quickly add up. Not to mention that since it’s prohibited, all your belongings going up in smoke would not be covered by insurance.
If you didn’t know, it may be time to clear out your parking space and reserve it only for parking your vehicle. And if it is really impossible for you to store everything, at home or in your cellar, know that there is still the solution of renting a box without a house above. There, as with the garage of a detached house, you can cram in everything you want without running the risk of experiencing a very unpleasant surprise.