Archive Storage.
Out of the Way. Kept Secure.
A cabinet full of confidential files takes up space you could put to better use. We collect that archive and store it for you.
You get the space back and you know exactly where every file is.
The Life Cycle of a File
A file always runs through the same three phases. Most companies arrange phase 1 and phase 3 with two different suppliers, so nobody keeps track of when a box should have been destroyed. That is exactly where fines come from, because the GDPR obliges you not only to keep data but also to erase it in time.
Active
The file is in use and sits in your office. We do nothing here, you need it every day.
Retention Obligation
The file is closed but cannot go yet. The tax authorities ask for 7 years, personnel files sometimes longer. It takes up space and returns nothing. This is where storage comes in.
Destruction
The period has expired. From that moment on, keeping it is no longer diligence but a risk. We destroy to DIN 66399 P-5 and you receive the certificate.
Because your boxes are already logged with us, we know per box when phase 3 starts. You get a heads-up before the period expires, you give your approval and the box goes through the shredder. No archive room quietly filling up with material that should no longer be there.
What Archive Storage Costs
We charge per storage box per month. A storage box is the sealed box that sits in our racking. About 6 ordinary archive boxes or ring binders fit inside. Intake is free of charge, including the boxes, the barcodes and the full processing. So you only pay for the months your archive is with us. All amounts exclude 21% VAT.
The storage box. Outer dimensions 60 × 40 × 30 cm, which is roughly 70 litres, up to 15 kg when filled. About 6 standard archive boxes or ring binders fit inside. It is the same unit as the box in our destruction rates, so storage and destruction are priced on the same size.
Counting in storage boxes. You probably know how many archive boxes or binders you have, not how many storage boxes that becomes. Divide by 6 and round up. So 40 archive boxes are 7 storage boxes. We deliver the storage boxes in advance, you pack and seal them yourself. What you put inside, in boxes or in binders, is up to you.
Storage per storage box
Sealed storage box of roughly 70 litres. Logged by box number with a recorded destruction date.
- 5 storage boxes (± 30 archive boxes): € 45 per month
- 7 storage boxes (± 40 archive boxes): € 63 per month
- 17 storage boxes (± 100 archive boxes): € 153 per month
- 40 storage boxes (± 240 archive boxes): € 360 per month
- Registration and retention period tracking included
- Cancel monthly, no annual contract
- Fewer boxes means a lower monthly price
Intake and trips
We deliver the storage boxes, collect them sealed and process them completely. Every box gets a barcode and goes into the register with a description and a destruction date. We charge nothing for that.
- Intake free of charge, whatever the number of boxes
- The storage boxes themselves free of charge
- Barcode and registration per box included
- Intake receipt listing all box numbers
- 1x per year free top-up with new boxes, from 5 storage boxes
- 1x per year free retrieval of your boxes, from 5 storage boxes
Destruction after storage
The box is already with us, so the collection trip falls away. That saves half compared with collecting and destroying separately. Same unit, so you can compare the two.
- Only after your written approval
- Box numbers on the certificate
- Certificate of Destruction included
Retrieval and return
| Action | Rate | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| First retrieval per calendar year (from 5 storage boxes) | Free of charge | 2 working days |
| Every further retrieval | € 60 per shipment + € 7.50 per storage box | 2 working days |
| Digital file retrieval (scan on request) | € 7.50 per file | 1 working day |
| Urgent retrieval (same working day) | € 45 per file | Same working day |
| Storage box written off permanently without destruction | Free of charge | On the next trip |
A shipment can hold several boxes. Retrieving 3 storage boxes at once outside your free retrieval costs € 60 plus 3 × € 7.50, so € 82.50 in total. Having single files scanned is usually cheaper than having a whole box brought over.
Two free trips per year from 5 storage boxes. Once per calendar year we add new boxes free of charge, so you can top up your archive without pickup costs. Once per calendar year you retrieve your boxes free of charge. Both apply per customer and not per box. Anything you do not use expires at the end of the year. If fewer than 5 storage boxes are with us, the normal trip rates from the table above apply.
Worked example over three years. A customer with 40 archive boxes needs 7 storage boxes. Intake is free of charge, storage costs € 63 per month, so € 2,268 over three years. If the retention period then ends on 2 storage boxes, destroying those costs € 30 and the monthly price drops to € 45.
Four Reasons to Move It Out
The GDPR cuts both ways
You have to keep certain records for years. Once that period ends you are required to destroy them. Keeping them too long is a breach in itself, even if nothing leaks. With us the expiry date is recorded per box, so you can show that you track it.
Less paper means less exposure
Every file still in your office counts in a data breach or a subject access request. What is not on your premises cannot fall into the wrong hands there.
Found within one working day
When your accountant or the tax office asks for a single file, we retrieve it by box number. No afternoon spent digging through a cabinet.
No investment in archive space
No renting extra square metres, no buying shelving that stands half empty. You pay per box and only for as long as the box is with us.
How We Store Your Archive
Logged per box
On intake every box gets a unique number, a description and a destruction date. The overview shows you exactly what is where.
Collected sealed
The same sealed collection as with destruction. From your location to the storage facility without stops, signed for on receipt.
Retrieval whenever you need it
Need a file back for an audit or a dispute? We scan it and email it within 1 working day, or bring the box back physically.
Retention period tracked
We track per box when the period ends and tell you in advance. Destruction only happens after your written approval.
Closed off with a certificate
At the end of the road stands the same Certificate of Destruction you know from us, with the date and the box numbers.
No notice period per box
You pay for what is there. If part of the archive leaves earlier, your monthly price drops with it from the next month.
Archive Storage in Short
How long do I actually have to keep my records?
The basic tax retention period is 7 years. For property data it is 10 years. Personnel files have their own periods, payroll tax statements for example 5 years after an employee leaves. We record per box which period applies, so you do not have to keep an eye on it yourself. Read more in our knowledge base on retention periods.
Why not simply keep everything to be safe?
Because the GDPR forbids it. Keeping personal data longer than necessary is a breach in itself, even if nothing leaks. On top of that, every file you still hold counts as findable in a data breach or an access request. What is gone cannot leak.
Can I take storage and destruction separately?
Yes. If you only want destruction, that is our regular archive destruction. If you only want storage, that works too, although the combination is cheaper because the collection trip at the end falls away.
What happens if I stop the storage?
You choose month by month. On cancellation you get your boxes back physically at the return rate, or we destroy them with a certificate. We hold nothing back and there is no buy-out fee.
Can you digitise instead of storing?
For part of your archive, scanning and then destroying is cheaper than years of storage. Not every document can go that route, some papers have to be kept in original form. When we quote, we look at which boxes are suitable for it.
Request Archive Storage
Tell us how many archive boxes you want stored and we work out the number of storage boxes and the monthly price for you. You hear what it costs within one working day.
Reclaim Your Archive Space?
Request a storage quote based on the number of boxes. We work out what storing costs against destroying right away.