Boston Storage Container Rental and Purchase

Narrow streets and old buildings

Boston was laid out long before anyone imagined a forty foot steel box. In the city and in Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, and Malden, the streets are narrow and the lots are small, with triple-deckers right up against the sidewalk. A delivery truck needs about twice the box length in a straight line, and a lot of Boston addresses do not offer it. Ten and twenty foot units are the norm here, and a driver may need to back in from a side street.

If the box has to go on the street, the city has a permit process, and each town around Boston has its own. Ask early. A permit for a box on a public way can take time, and a contractor who skips it may find the box towed.

In Somerville and Cambridge, much of the work happens on lots so tight that the box goes on the street, and the contractor has to coordinate with neighbors and the city, and sometimes around a snow emergency plan. In Brockton and Newton, driveways are longer, and a box beside the house is easier.

Snow, ice, and condensation

New England winters do not play nice with steel. Freeze and thaw produce condensation, and a box sealed in January can drip on everything inside by February. Paper and electronics need vents or insulation, and a dehumidifier if you have power. Nor'easters mean the delivery and pickup plan needs to include snow. Ask what the provider does if the lot is plowed and icy, and clear the path.

Ground freezes, so a box set down in a thaw can shift. Blocking on timbers or gravel keeps it level through the cycle.

Salt from winter roads hits any steel on a street. Look at the paint, and ask whether the box has been repainted. Rust starts where the paint chips, and a box that sat near the harbor will show it first.

The port and the used box market

Conley Terminal in South Boston handles container ships, and that keeps some supply of used boxes nearby. It is a small port compared with New York or Los Angeles, so choice is more limited, and many providers also bring units from New Jersey or from rail. Quincy and Revere sit close to the harbor and have industrial yards, so providers in those places can often reach downtown quickly.

On a purchase, ask the grade and where the unit sits, and get photos. One-trip is for show. Wind and watertight is the practical middle for anything that needs to stay dry.

Providers in the north suburbs reach Malden, Medford, and Lynn quickly, and providers in the south reach Quincy and Brockton. Cambridge and Somerville are in between, with bridges and rotaries that make timing hard. Ask where the truck starts.

Labs, universities, and construction

Greater Boston runs on universities, hospitals, biotech, and construction. Kendall Square in Cambridge and the lab buildings in Waltham, Newton, and along Route 128 have steady renovations and fit-outs, and tenants store equipment and records in boxes during moves. The hospitals around the Longwood Medical Area do the same. Newton and Somerville have a lot of home renovation, and a box in a driveway is common for a few months.

Retail shops on Newbury Street and in suburban malls rent for the holidays. Restaurants rent during a remodel. Brockton, to the south, has light industrial yards and contractors who rent in bulk.

Harvard and MIT run steady campus projects across Cambridge, and Tufts is in Medford and Somerville. Colleges rent boxes in summer for dorm moves and construction. Hospitals in the area do the same during renovations. In Waltham, the offices and labs along the Charles use boxes when a tenant moves out and the next one has not moved in.

Rules and neighbors

Every city and town here has its own rules. A box on a residential street or driveway is regulated in many of them, and some ban it. Where a building project is under way, its permit usually settles it. Check with the local office, and if you rent, the landlord. Triple-decker owners and condo associations often have opinions.

Snow emergency rules in Boston and nearby cities can force a box to move. A container left on a street during a declared emergency may be ticketed or towed. Ask your provider what they do about that, and plan to have the box inside private property if possible.

Historic districts in Boston and Cambridge add another layer, since a visible steel box on a street front can be an issue for a neighborhood commission. A rear yard or an alley is safer. Say where it will sit when you ask.

Reading the quote

Get size, grade, rent or price, delivery, and pickup in writing. Ask about the truck, the access, and whether the provider has delivered in your town before. Ask about doors and floors, and whether blocking is included.

A good provider in Boston asks for a photo of the site. That is a good sign. One that says it will be fine has not seen your street.

Late fall is when the holiday retail rush meets early snow. Boxes get scarce. If you know you need one by November, order in September.

Students move in and out at the same time every year, which raises storage demand in Cambridge and Boston in late summer. Book early, or you will spend a weekend calling around.

Looking for a different city? Here are some nearby.

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