Industry Snapshot 2025: the metrics, trends and insights shaping self storage in the year ahead

The self storage sector is on the move again. The SSAA Industry Snapshot 2025 reveals an asset class that is maturing quickly, attracting record levels of capital and continuing to deliver solid operational performance, even as new supply reaches fresh highs.

Complementing the SSAA’s biennial State of the Industry Report, the Snapshot draws on data from hundreds of facilities across Australia and New Zealand. Together, they map a $20 billion dollar industry, spanning 3,380 facilities, 7.5 million square metres of net storage area and around 730,000 units across Australasia.

Beneath the headline numbers, our story is built the familiar pillars of demographics and housing. Population growth, migration, density and housing turnover remain central to storage demand. The SSAA Industry Gauge sits at 3.55, which is broadly in line with 2023 and 2024, pointing to a stable but competitive market, where movement of people continues to underpin performance.

Capital flows and transactions

One of the clearest signals of sector maturity is the shift in capital. Preliminary figures suggest 2025 will be a record year for self storage transactions, with an estimated $1.36 billion in going concern deals across Australia and New Zealand. Three major portfolio sales account for around $1 billion of that volume, and individual assets are also on track for the strongest year on record.

The buyer landscape has changed as well. Once dominated by REITs, the market has tilted toward private equity and private investors, who now represent around 84% of recorded transactions. And a number of high profile deals have placed self storage firmly as an institutional asset class.

Operations, supply and outlook

Operational performance has normalised, but remains healthy. Average occupancy has eased slightly from 87-85% by area. Continued fee increases have lifted the weighted average storage fee to $394 per square metre per annum and revenue per available metre to $335. Other income has recovered as operators rebuild ancillary sales and reintroduce customer goods and protection offerings, although operating costs continue to rise.

On the supply side, development activity has accelerated again. Across the seven major markets there are 198 proposed facilities, which is an increase of roughly 21% year-on-year, and around 350 known projects across Australia and New Zealand combined. New development is heavily concentrated in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, where net storage area is expected to increase by about 7.5% during 2025.

The Snapshot also explores some key trends across the sector, including shifts in operating models, technology and security.

• Around 65% of facilities remain fully staffed, while 35% are now using partially remote models that blend people and technology.
• AI adoption is gathering pace, with 62% of respondents believing AI will be transformational or important within the next decade.
• Two-thirds of operators are concerned about crime in the year ahead and are calling for standards, shared intelligence and stronger collaboration with police.

Importantly, operator sentiment is upbeat. Seventy-three per cent of respondents expect to be better off over the next 12 months, and 59% say their business is already ahead of last year. Plans to lift marketing spend, expand facilities and automate more processes suggest most operators see 2026 as a year to keep investing.

Members can access the full SSAA Industry Snapshot 2025 now via the SSAA Member Portal.