Any tools that can help make your divorce smoother and less stressful are usually welcome. And one of these may be a personal storage unit. However, there are right and there are wrong ways to use a storage unit during a divorce. Here are a few dos and don'ts to ensure you use it the right way. 

Do Protect Documents and Finances

If you still share a home with your soon-to-be ex, it's often prudent to have a separate and secure location to gather documents. This includes personal documents like your passport, will, birth certificate, or ownership titles. Vengeful exes can try to make your life difficult by destroying, losing, or holding these documents hostage if they still have access to them.  

Many divorcing spouses also use their storage unit as a staging area to gather evidence related to their spouse's activities or their own divorce attorney communications. And you might even use it as an office to manage your post-divorce finances. 

Don't Attempt to Hide Assets

Removing items from your marital home or joint use is about protecting them. But it's not about hiding them. Attempts to hide assets that may be subject to division in accordance with state laws is fraud and may be a crime. It's not worth the risk. 

Do Use It as a Neutral Ground

The storage unit can be neutral ground for couples in contention over some assets, like art or a vehicle. You might place the assets in a shared storage space where both have access to it until disposition is decided. Or have a third party, such as an attorney, maintain access for safekeeping. Either way, no one party has unrestricted control over the item and both can ensure that it's cared for in the interim. 

Don't Let Things Deteriorate

Once you place anything in storage, make sure you maintain it and prevent further deterioration. Check on items regularly, perform maintenance, keep them clean, and prevent accidents. This is obvious when you have a stake in the item as a marital asset. But if you purposely or negligently allow your spouse's share of some asset to lose value, you may be liable for it during negotiations. 

Where to Start

Could a storage unit help you or your family find success during your divorce? No matter whether you want to protect your own assets, prepare for the divorce, or keep joint assets safe, start by touring self-storage facilities in your area today.