A container in the corner that nobody has billed since spring
Storage is the steady income that keeps a removals firm going through the quiet months. It is also the part of the business run from a spreadsheet: customer name, number of containers, weekly rate, date in. Each month someone raises the invoices from the sheet.
Then an audit of the warehouse finds a container belonging to a customer who is not on the sheet, because they came in during a busy week and the row was never added. Another customer took half their goods out months ago and is still paying for two containers, or is paying for one when they still have two.
Why storage billing drifts
The billing sheet and the warehouse are two records of the same thing, maintained by different people at different times. They drift apart because nothing forces them back together.
- New storage customers are added to the sheet after the move, if someone remembers.
- Part-withdrawals and access visits change what is held but not the invoice.
- Containers are moved around the warehouse with no central record.
- Rates increase on paper and not in every row.
- Handling charges for access visits are not added to the next bill.
What drifting billing costs
Unbilled containers are lost income, month after month. Overbilled customers eventually notice, and the refund conversation damages a long relationship. Chasing arrears on storage is harder when the invoices themselves are not trusted.
When a container sits unpaid for long enough, your terms may give you options, but you need accurate records of what was billed and when before you can use any of them.
How we tie billing to what is really in store
- Each storage customer has an account listing the containers, lift vans or bays they occupy, taken from the move job when goods go into store.
- Rates, billing frequency and any minimum period are held on the account, and invoices are raised on schedule into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage.
- Access visits and part-withdrawals are booked as jobs against the account, with handling charges applied from your price list and the container count updated.
- Card payments can be taken on a recurring schedule through Stripe or GoCardless, with failed payments flagged for the office.
- A regular check compares the warehouse location record with the billing accounts and lists any container with no account, or any account with no container.
- An arrears list shows accounts overdue, with the history of invoices and payments for each.
| Event | Effect on the account |
|---|---|
| Goods into store | Account opened, containers listed, billing starts |
| Access visit | Handling charge added to next invoice |
| Part-withdrawal | Container count and bill updated |
| Final delivery | Account closed, final invoice raised |
Any action on unpaid storage stays with your terms and your advisers. We make sure the records are right.
What storage looks like on a Monday
Invoices go out on time from the accounts, not the spreadsheet. The warehouse and the billing agree, and when they do not, a short list says where. Access visits are charged as your terms say, and customers get a clear statement of what they are paying for.
Is your storage income leaking?
- Storage billing runs from a spreadsheet.
- A warehouse check has found containers nobody was billing.
- Access visits are rarely charged.
- Rate increases have not reached every customer.
- Arrears are chased without a clear invoice history.