U-Haul announced in a press release Thursday that the company will be offering students nationwide 30 days of free self-storage following the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019.
“[Students] just have to show their I.D. to show they are a student,” said U-Haul customer service representative Terry Andrews.
On Wednesday, UCF encouraged students to stay at, or return to, their permanent residences, at the conclusion of spring break, following the recommendation of the Florida Board of Governors.
U-Haul’s offer applies to new customers and is subject to availability, according to the press release.
U-Haul Moving and Storage of Alafaya — located on the corner of East Colonial Drive and North Alafaya Trail — had 22 self-storage units available at time of publication. The store’s general manager, Joshua Reny, said no students had yet to utilize the self-storage service.
“We have practically endless opportunity here in Orlando,” Reny said. “We can serve the entire school, practically.”
Reny said he visited UCF’s campus with flyers and vouchers to let the university know U-Haul was offering this service to students.
“I did come up to the university, but they didn’t seem too interested in us offering services to students,” Reny said.
Knight News reached out to UCF for comment, but the university did not respond in time for publication.
The release states it is the first time the company has extended a 30-day free self-storage offer company-wide.
“We don’t know how every student is affected. But we know they are affected,” said U-Haul President John “JT” Taylor in the release. “More and more universities are giving instructions to leave campus and go home. Students and their parents are in need of moving and storage solutions. We have the expertise and network to help, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
