Renting a storage facility for your things involves signing a lease, just like renting an apartment. Leases are supposed to state what rights and obligations the owner of the facility and the renter have and what should happen if either of them doesn’t complete the obligations. Typical terms in this kind of lease include: the cost of rent and when it is due, a description of the space available in the rented storage unit, a list of any items that the owner won’t allow to be stored there (explosives, biological hazards, illegal goods, flammable materials…), an explanation of the security deposit, a disclaimer saying that the storage place is not liable for injuries to people who get hurt while storing or removing their things, and the inevitable declaration about what will happen if the rent is not paid.
A lease is a form of contract which means that it is a legally enforceable agreement. Because it is ordinarily fully written when it is presented to the person wanting to rent storage space, rather than being the type of contract that is written by both parties to the agreement who negotiate the terms before writing them down, the renter has very little room to bargain. It is as if the owner of the storage facility is saying, “You can rent a space if you agree to all of these terms.”
If you are not willing to agree to any particular terms that are written on his lease, you have to write that on the document to be signed. To convey definitely that you do not agree to terms, circle or mark out or underline or otherwise note any terms you cannot agree to and state in the margin near each of them that you do not agree to abide by that requirement. Simply telling the facility owner that you do not accept his terms will not protect your interests. A judge is unlikely to believe that you truly did not agree with the written contract if you read it well enough to discuss unacceptable terms with the owner and then you signed it anyway, without changing the written terms. Remember, of course, that the facility owner does not have to agree to your changes any more than you have to agree to his terms. He has the space you need and he can leave it empty or rent it to someone else if you refuse to use it according to his terms.
Some states have statutes for the sole purpose of backing up self-storage leases. These statutes give the rules for evicting the possessions because there isn’t a human tenant or business to evict from the owner’s premises. One of the standard rules is that the owner of the possessions is supposed to be notified by mail, at the last known address, that the owner of the self-storage place is going to sell the possessions if the owner of those possessions does not pay the past-due rent.
For people without homes, this is a completely ineffective form of notice. In Delaware, the law requires that in addition to mailing that warning, the self-storage place must advertise the warning in the newspaper.[i] This would not be a big expensive embarrassing ad in the social section; it would be a small cheap formulaic ad buried in the classified section. A person who had missed enough rental payments to be at risk of having his or her possessions sold would either have to read all of the legal notices in the classified ads every day or somehow know exactly when the storage facility happened to be advertising.
In Michigan, instead of requiring the newspaper ad, the law says that owners of self-storage places should mail the warning to the last known address of the possession owner and also, if the renter has provided adequate information, to another person who is likely to know how to locate that person.[ii] Some of these laws may seem to be insensitive to the difficulties of people who are homeless, however, if renters have not paid their bill and have not appeared in person or otherwise made themselves available for communication, the law has to protect the other party to the contract who has held up his end of the bargain.
The Self Storage Association lobbies for legislative action on behalf of self storage facility owners. You, as a customer, might like to understand their positions on issues such as safety, cleanliness, online auctions, tenant insurance, and other issues in advance of communicating with a particular facility about any legal issue. As a tenant, you might also seek information and possibly support from your state consumer protection office if you are having trouble dealing with a storage facility.
Homeless Law Blog 
The self storage industry uses very cumbersome contracts the are heavily weighted in favor of the landlord (i.e. not the renter) which are backed by the self storage statutes of the various states. A self storage renter should not be afraid to ask to take the lease room and read it before signing. After all, your goods are important to you or you wouldn’t need to store them.
This article is heavily one sided. We own and operate 3 facilities: (North Phoenix Storage Solutions) http://www.nphxstorage.com, (Elliot Kyrene Storage Solutions) http://www.elliotkyrenestorage.com, and (I-17/Thunderbird Storage Solutions) http://www.i17tbirdstorage.com. Self storage is a business that in many cases is a necessary evil, but we don’t operate for free. We also don’t want to SELL your stuff. In Arizona, we now have lien laws that allow email as a formal notice and we, at the Arizona Self Storage Assoiciation of which I am communication chair and co-develope, have developed an auction website @ http://www.selfstorageauctionsaz.com/ to serve as official notice. Don’t forget, when we are busy hunting down delinquent renters, we are losing money b/c we can’t rent that space to someone who will pay. We don’t like selling tenant possessions and we DON’T make a profit like some like to say. As for modifying leases, our members use a standardized lease that is in accordance with AZ Revised Statutes that is non-negotiable. If you don’t like it, don’t rent there. Why would you want to rent to someone who modifies a lease? It only sends a red flag up that they are going to be trouble.
James Appleton, It appears that you believe that a prospective tenant does not have the right to ask for a modification of a contract and that alone is reason for redlining them? Using such as a “red flag” on future behavior is silly. Human beings are not standardized, you may not be aware of this fact and “standardized contracts” are a disservice to consumers. If you have such pre-conceived contempt for your customers maybe you should consider a business where a ponzi scheme is in play, this way you can really stick it to somebody.
Can you answer a question for me my son rented a storage units got in an argument with his neighboring storage winter he was told to be out by the end of the month and is now only allowed to be there during business hours and they even took away his code is that legal if he has till the end of the month
I have a question me and my family are homeless and are renting a storage unit . My boyfriend was shaving in their bathroom quickly and a employee walking in on him by accident . He said that because of what he saw he would not continue the lease with him because of it. Not to long ago we got a call saying because of what they saw on camera which is is coming in and out of the storage unit they will limit our hours from office hours (which are the times we work) instead of the hours outside of the storage unit that say 6-10 . Can they do such thing !? NoNE of this is mentioned in the terms and conditions or on their lease
I seriously don’t ordinarily comment however gotta admit thankyou on your own post about this amazing one : D.
The mere fact that our local state government allows a contract to be in full favor of the person or persons who own a self storage facility is just crazy!
case in point: My wife and I rented three 12×30 storage units we own a small mom & pop business and the place we are going to lease for our shop had to be remodeled and via bad luck in sub contactors and slow workers plus the shop was very old and in need of repair, what we thought would take 4 months to fix and set up for our needs is now into 11 months of pure remodel hell!
Under the circumstances and with no company income My wife and I condensed from 3 storage units to 2 to save money.
this is where our saga get’s good…
at our new shop location we also rented a 8X40 mobile storage container
and due to some city rules we had to remove it.
When one of the contactors heard about this he offered to move our items inside the mobile storage container to our storage place and pay for 2 or 3 months until he built us a permanent storage shed at our new shop that the city will allow.
My wife and I was very grateful and felt this would be awesome!
we told the contactor the name of the storage facility and drove there to meet him.
The storage facility had a sign out front saying they had a special on larger size units as long as you pay 3 months in advance.
this was the same as when we first moved in along time ago, so we thought why not let the contactor get a good deal and tell him about it.
the manager at the storage facility said “nope not going to rent to you” because you just moved out of one unit a short time back and now you find some guy to sneak you back in on a special!
our contactor tried to explained that the personal things we had stored before was not the same as the items from our shop mobile storage container and this was a separate issue and he was the renter.
The storage facility manager said he did not care and we was to leave.
A few days later the manager sent us certified letters on our 2 storage units telling us to move out at the end of the lease month.
their should be some rights for us!
now we had to hire a crew to move us and he treated our contactor very rudely as if he is a snake in the grass trying to pull a fast one!
I call the storage facility manager after getting the letters from him and his reply to me was ” Don’t want you type of people here!”
I just don’t get the point he is making, someone could pay 1 or 2 months on a month to month bases or he could get 3 months in advance up front so that makes us being sneaky?
It is interesting that if you are a human renter in an apt building the “rights” are tipped toward the renter and if your stuff is the renter of a storage unit you have no rights what so ever?
All storage place owners are criminals, you all violate the law by making up your own rules on renting /late fees/ lock outs etc…
CA. does the same. AZ is a joke too
you owners never obey the law cause you think nobody knows what their rights are. you make insane leases that are only there to screw the renter. soon you will all be in jail I hope !!!
and the big ripoff by saying a space in bigger then it really is & charging us for it, is just CRIMINAL !!
I bet all u owners are obama voters :(
This is so true. Storage owners in LaFayette, GA charge $10 to send you a letter that the rent is past due.Then they charge you $10 more for being late. When you complain they threaten to throw you out. Then they claim to care about their tenants. What a laugh!
Yes they tend to favor the storage facilities and California actually has specific rules are supposed to abide by but they don’t and when you challenge them and tell them the California law. They just say this we’ve been doing it forever and this is how we run it even though it’s against the law it is seriously a criminal act that they lock you out when you’re 6 days late and won’t let you until you pay it and then when you pee it you might have lost a week of going into your Stuff Etc and they don’t make up for that when you are renting an apartment and you are a week or two late they don’t lock you out until you pay it because you still are paying for the use of that storage space and access to it California many places like you after 6 days or 10 days which by law they cannot lock you out until 28 days after the fact
Most of the landlords don’t want you to pay on time, and hope your not able to pay! This way they get to FLUFF your stuff! Go to a flea market away from the town your storage is located at, don’t be surprised if you see some of your stuff there for sale! I got something they can all lien on, and I aint talk”n bout my truck either!
Sale of items in storage unit without proper notice
Can a self storage facility be held liable for stating on website mult video cameras through out the property providing security when they only have a camera at the entrance and one at the exit and is so antiquated that the video is poor quality and there was nothing to aide the police in an investigaton of the theft of an entire 2013 travel trailer. It took 17 days for them to tell the truth and then to be told that because ofthis incident they had bids out for new equipment. I asked how that would help me and I was told it wouldn’t, but it would help the next person. Our trailer was tsken withina 5 day window and there was a separate break in during that period. Criminals
kobviously knew it was an easy target. A friend of mine called a few weeks later to inquire about renting an rv space and asked about security and was told that it was very safe. No breakins or security issues.
Here are two topics to investigate when the storage facility has mislead you about the security it provides:
1. Your state’s consumer protection statute. Navigate from this portal to state legal codes. See also the National Consumer Law Center
2. Negligence – When a business breaches a duty and that breach results in harm, which can be financial harm, it is legally negligent and has to pay damages. The lawyers who handle negligence cases are personal injury lawyers. You should be able to get a free consultation with a local personal injury lawyer to discuss your case and decide whether to pursue legal action.
An efficient first step that you can take is to file a consumer complaint with your state attorney general. State attorneys general investigate and prosecute fraudulent business practices. You can find your state attorney general’s website via http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys-general/whos-my-ag.php. Once you are in your state AG’s website, look around for an online complaint form. The attorney general represents the public, so even if the storage company tries to claim that you signed a contract promising not to sue (the same contract where they promised to provide adequate security) the attorney general can take immediate action on behalf of the state.
Great, INFORMATIVE post!
I have a tenant that is renting an apartment and he also got a the garage to take care of the lawn and shovel the snow he also put his car in one of the other empty garages I ask the tenant to empty out one of the garages the verbal agreement was only for one he will not move his stuff out what can I do to get him to get his stuff out of my garage legally
I have a question me and my family are homeless and are renting a storage unit . My boyfriend was shaving in their bathroom quickly and a employee walking in on him by accident . He said that because of what he saw he would not continue the lease with him because of it. Not to long ago we got a call saying because of what they saw on camera which is is coming in and out of the storage unit they will limit our hours from office hours (which are the times we work) instead of the hours outside of the storage unit that say 6-10 . Can they do such thing !? NoNE of this is mentioned in the terms and conditions or on their lease
The facility might have rules or policies that you have to follow in addition to the lease. The lease will usually mention those if they exist. Your actions may have given the facility the impression that you are living in the storage unit. Perhaps that is forbidden by the lease. If you believe that you have not violated the lease and that the facility has violated the lease, you may have rights under your state’s consumer protection law. The attorney general’s office will investigate your complaint and decide whether to prosecute the storage facility. Meanwhile, if this facility is arbitrarily changing rules based on a false impression and preventing you from accessing your stuff when you have no place else to keep it, you might have a tort claim. Even though personal injury lawyers handle tort claims, you might want to talk with a legal aid lawyer who knows about poverty.
i have been renting a garage for some time now and i had put a few things out and forgot to trash them the owner however changed my locks and said that he has a bill of $450.00 that he wants me to pay or he wont let me get my things or access to my unit what do i do
We rented 4 units when evicted from a facility that has online ads claiming 24 hr access, well-lit facilities, secured with monitored surveillance and security, WiFi access, business center, mail services including a private mailbox, desk and phone services to conduct business transactions including meeting customers, climate-controled units, etc. Realty: only camera watches gate that is left open all night, very limited lighting-most areas are completely dark, no business services, no facilities for occupants, not allowed to utilize 24 hr access without getting accussed of sleeping in unit, not allowed to remain in unit for more than 30 minutes, and singled out due to no vehicle.
Wife was injured during moving process & we weren’t getting along that day. No public scenes occurred. Wife remained at storage to begin consolidation of 4 to 2 units-I left for welding class. Storage employee harassed wife to point of tears. Employee demanded wife call 911. Wife refused. Employee called 911 claiming she had video of DV assault. Police, Fire, & EMTs dispatched. Wife was taken to hospital to have injury checked out. 3 hours later wife returned to storage to continue with consolidation. We didn’t block access for anyone. We didn’t leave a mess. Returned a week later to work through night (day temps avg 100 degrees-climate-controlled units don’t exit). Next morning a 2nd employee accussed us of living in unit. Said they had received several complaints. Told us to leave. Returned a week later on a Sunday when office closed thinking we could finally get move finished. Unidentified male claimed he was security–threatened us with calling cops to evict us immediately, said we couldn’t use electricity or water, said couldn’t have service animal on property, said he would sell our property next day, said 24 hr access had been revoked 2 wks prior due to police being called on us, said he could do whatever he wants, told us we had to leave by 7pm when standard posted hours for non-businesses are 6am-9pm 7 days a week, said he didn’t care gate always open from 9pm-8:30am, said he didn’t care that fire extinguishers were out-of-date, said occupant across from “pays for utilities” when there isn’t a separate meter to do so.
We have never “broken” the rules at this facility. Welfare check has been twisted into reason to make different rules for us than other tenants. We have NEVER slept/lived out of any of the units but the employees constantly claim they have received complaints about us. We only need the storage for another 2 weeks but need access. What do you recommend? In AZ. Thanks.
According to Arizona’s Attorney General, “Consumer fraud, as defined by Arizona law is any deception, unfair act or practice, false statement, false pretense, false promise or misrepresentation made by a seller or advertiser of merchandise.” If this sounds to you like the treatment you are getting from the storage place, you can file a free complaint with the Attorney General’s office.
Ive been renting a storage unit here in california now for almost a year . I have paid on time except for one month and I paid all the excessive fees and caught up I was like 24 days late anyways they cut my lock off and replaced it with one of theres when i was delinquent when i had them get there lock off and entered my unit I noticed that some of my stuff was missing . theres no doubt in my mind that whoever cut my lock helped themselves to my possessions and i want retribution what recourse do I need to pursue to get monetary equivalent of the things that were taken 1)crossbow 2)a video cam recorder 3)a bb gun rifle 4) muzzle loader hand gun 5) over/under shotgun 22 and thats just what i can remember I know theres probably more ? can anyone help me?
You better report your guns as stollen. If anyone commits a crime with one of them you could be held responsible.
Omg. Praying someone replies. I am so so angry. So here is the story, I rented a storage building after my father died and placed many of his things along with some of my things. A few months later (Payment up to date) I was at building cleaning it out throwing things out and selling some of the things I didn’t want. It was a hot day, and after few hours I was so thirsty. I jumped in car leaving three chest sitting out that were to be trashed. I didn’t leave them in the drive area I left them up against mg door opening with the door open making it clear. This isn’t a busy place and is in a small town. When I come back fifteen minutes later my items were gone. I figured someone came along thinking they were feeling something of value. Went on about my business thinking nothing else up it until a week later when I received a message from the storage companies stating that I had left items outside of my building they had to take them and put them inside of an empty building. Because of this I was being build a $25 fee. I was out of town and sent a friend to get the items. When I went to pay my monthly fee I was informed my friend did not remove all of the . Instead of paying my normal $87 I was charged 267 due to this I really did not have the time to argue with him nor the patience at that moment. I received an email from them a week later telling me because the items were still in their building they were now renting that building to me and I could see the enclosed contract provided in the email sent. When I Look to the email it was a full month fee for $100 a month building. They also informed me in this email that until that payment was made I was locked out of my other building which was paid in full and I would not be getting in it. I am in the state of North Carolina and I am to me and I could see the enclosed contract provided in the email sent. When I Look to the email it was a full month fee for $100 a month building. They also informed me in this email that until that payment was made I was locked out of my other building which was paid in full and I would not be getting in it. I am in the state of North Carolina and I am asking anyone that may have knowledge of the to please state their opinion or I give me guidance as to how I handle this. I feel this is not right. If they wanted to take that stuff and put it in their building and say you’re not getting it back I had no problem with that even. But to lock my building that was paid for in full I feel is wrong.
You need a local lawyer. Here is an online form to help you find lawyers in your city who handle disputes about contracts and property. http://www.martindale.com/Find-Lawyers-and-Law-Firms.aspx Did you report them to the Better Business Bureau? The BBB will mediate or arbitrate a dispute between you and this storage company.
Hello. Not yet. I went to the business yesterday and recorded the conversation. I told him I was going to file papers against him in civil court he found that amusing. I asked for a copy of my contract and he gave me one. The contract clearly stated any items left out of your storage building OVERNIGHT will be picked up and disposed of . OVERNIGHT! I was gone fifteen minutes MAX. I am so outdone. Glad you suggested better business bureau. I will do that in the AM. Thank you much for replying
How about if a unit is open by accident and taken everything out put in a different unit and then taken out of the different unit and put back in the original unit that it was in the start.
What if you paid for Month ..cash for the storage unit and the manager quit the next day and didn’t give you a receipt
Wouldn’t the renter of the storage unit have been provided with a key or a combination or something that was documented in the storage company’s records? If so, the storage company must have a record of providing that key or combination and that record should be good proof of the rental deal. If because of the lack of a receipt the company denies that the renter has a contract with them, the renter can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and ask for the BBB to arbitrate the dispute over the rental agreement. In the BBB arbitration, the renter can confirm the storage company’s standard periods of rental (do you rent for a week at a time, a month at a time…what’s the minimum?), call on the storage place to pull its surveillance video showing when he or she first began storing things in the unit, and ask the storage company to divulge the internal account book and business records where they show that they have accepted payments. They would have to keep these records for tax purposes. If they admit in the BBB arbitration that they don’t have clear records, then they don’t have solid proof that this renter did not have the deal she or he claims to have. The renter’s version of the story and the renter’s records may be much more credible than the storage company’s.
i need a referal to a lawyer over a dispute w a storage company who allowed a person to enter the facility ,hire a locksmith to cut the lock and let this person steal my stuff on camera.
another time i had my stuff on 2 carts on the 2nd floor by the elevator awaiting a ride home.went to smoke a cigarette came back and my stuff was gone.i went to the office and the employees all had my stuff getting ready to take it home.barely recovered any of it and theyre ignoring my emails and calls .ive lost alot.
Quit smoking Just one cigarette can be very costly
Gm.my sister has a storage room that we found out about she passed away tried to get in the storage room was told we needed court Documation now we have they want to charge us for the back months of rent i informed them in june she passed away ate we responsible for the back rent we cant find her leases and they wont show us a lease at all we are so upset and lost for words and info..please help….
So this storage place has no proof that it is owed back-due rent and it expects your sister’s estate to pay whatever amount it asks for? First of all, the executor or adminstrator of the estate cannot pay any of the estate’s debts until after he or she has collected all of the estate’s assets. The contents of that storage room count as assets of the estate; the executor has to have access to those (and probably sell them) before he or she can pay any money that might be owed to the storage facility. And even then, the facilty will have to present legitimate proof of how much it is owed and there will have to be sufficient assets in the estate to pay that bill. State law tells the order in which estate bills have to be paid. Debts to the government (such as taxes) and funeral expenses typically have to be paid before other debts. The executor is responsible for writing to the owner or manager of this storage place as well as bank managers and others who hold assets belonging to the person who died to arrange for those assets to be transferred into the possession of the estate. If the executor is not able to handle these communications or faces resistence from asset holders, he or she should hire an estate lawyer to go after them. One last thought: If this storage place ignores even the formal estate communications about turning over the contents of the storage room, get a free consultation from a personal injury lawyer about whether this looks like tortious conversion— illegally taking control of someone else’s property for one’s own benefit.
This question goes out to anybody that has any information I was moving and had to put my things in storage when I got to the storage I realized I didn’t have ID so my sister put storage in her name I paid all the bills and they are aware those are my
They’re also aware she never came onto the property The lock that was on the storage, it was my lock
This is the dilemma
My husband is dying of pancreatic cancer
He wanted to see his dad for The last
His dying wish to see his father she went on the trip to help because we have the animals with us
I found out she was doing some things extremely illegal and I kicked her out of the vehicle and that was very hard
She went back took my name off of the lease and never paid for the storage. I have asked storage management if I could get into it and they said no because I’m not on the lease after I explained to them everything
a letter was sent to her which came to my address and there’s a lien on it .
Is there any way I can fight this get my things back also to let you know I get offered To pay for the storage and they said No and now the bill is 500 which I can’t pay Because that is a very high amount I can make payments but that’s it I were on a fixed income any suggestions on how I can get my things back I would be so grateful. My email
kindredcat69@gmail.com
My self storage company has changed their policies, late fees and auction lien process a bunch of times in the past year. Last month I forgot to make my payment for the first time. My bill is $87/mo. I called to pay for this month and last month. I owe them $499.!!!! It’s a new rule!! Is there any reasonable limit to how much they can gouge me? I’m on SS disability and this is awful.
I hope that by now you have arranged to at least make small payments toward that late payment fee and that, meanwhile, you have managed to engage your local legal aid office. Click on “Find Legal Aid” at https://www.lsc.gov/. You might also contact your local United Way referral line by calling 211 to ask if there is a local emergency fund or social work agency that can help with your situation.
Hello im in a shelter and human resources are paying my storage the manager Melanie in self storage in Atlantic ave in Brooklyn ny they been paying my Insurance and paying for 2 mmonths and she will lie that she haven’t got the check then she’ll say that they only get 1 check first then they send them the second 1 after she’s lying i got proif from HR they gave me the copies they send both checks together and she stold a lot of $9.00 dollars for months and late fee she hplds your checks and say that she haven’t got IT to charge me late fee is $20.00 but she charges me $32.60 twice and she been got the checks human resources called her they had cashed the checks and lied and he called she was soo scared and put them back but she’s still doing the same thing and i need help i want to take them to court i have all the proof from welfare and the $9.00 i payed with my debit bank card and ect… Now she did it again i want to take them her to court please help and im dissabled physically and ect… My # is 347-500-4018
Here are four ideas to start with:
1. File a consumer complaint with your state attorney general. The State Attorney General’s website will probably have a form where you can put all of this information that you posted here.
2. Contact your local legal aid office and ask if they will help you with this consumer protection case.
3. Use the link from the National Association for Consumer Advocates to get connected with a lawyer.
4. You can also file a claim with the Better Business Bureau at the same time that you are pursuing a legal case. The good thing about the Better Business Bureau is that they handle disputes with arbitration or mediation, so you don’t have to have a lawyer or follow all of the court formalities and you might get this problem solved more quickly.
can my storage unit landlord raise the rent without telling me ?
Your lease should indicate when and how the rent will go up. It will also indicate how the storage facility will communicate with you. You and the storage landlord are both obligated to comply with the terms of the lease, so each of you can bring claims if the other breaches the lease. Of course, even if your lease does obligate the landlord to notify you before raising the rent (which is not always the case) there can be circumstances when not informing you is excusable. For example, if this lack of notice happened because they tried to contact you but don’t have all of your current contact information, then you can’t really blame them for not informing you of the rent increase. As with most business transactions, you can request a courtesy rather than getting into a conflict. In this situation, you could write a note indicating that you are surprised by the rent increase and simply cannot afford it at this moment and would like to request that they waive it for this month or at least give you the opportunity to pay the old amount now and the additional amount next week or at another future date.
My 10×20 storage unit was broken into at the end of September. I found out late at night and because of damage done to the door during break in I had to switch units. I was given 24 hours to move all of the property or I would be charged rent on both units. I switched units, planning of switching facilities because of their lack of security. A few days later my rent was due. Immdiately after paying the $100+ rent, I was informed that I would no longer have access to my unit until I paid $500 for the damage to the door. I filed a civil suit the following business day. They evaded being served by lying about their name to the Sherrif’s deputy. Waiting to be assigned an arbitrator. Having had to replace colder weather clothing and other items needed for work, and having to get an additional unit elsewhere I fell behind on rent. Can they put a lien on my stuff while there is a lawsuit pending? I filed pro se and am at a severe disadvantage with all the BS in their Answer, stating I was suing the wrong person, improper service, improper venue. not admitting or denying anything therefor denying everything. Unit contains irreplaceable items as well as my mothers ashes. What can I do?
If the potential lien or eviction from the storage unit is stated in your lease as the action that the facility can take when you don’t pay the rent, then you have to pay the rent in order to avoid having a lien or an eviction. But does the lease say full rent? Can you save the place by paying partial rent? Having a lawsuit against a facility does not protect someone from violating the terms of the lease. This sounds like a situation that can best be resolved with teamwork. Is there a church or college sorority or local nonprofit that can pull together a crowd and a truck and maybe some cash to help you move your stuff to a different storage facility? Put the word out. Ask your friends to ask their friends.
The owner of the mini storage I rent has been following me,asking round about me,rumored to believe Iive in it. I don’t, I have a room with family for 8 years, I was being robbed so often,that I decided to rent space for my personal belongings.he has been sitting and doing his own investigstion. He approached me after watching me for several hours, and told me I had to much stuff out all day long,and people thought I lived there. I feel. Violated, and Disrespected. Is this kinda behavior legal
A Maryland State tenant of a ez space storage facility since JAN 2019. Yesterday, (Aug 19th) I went to my locker on to find I had been locked out and told to move today with a truck (yesterday) because I did not agree to the terms of the January 2019 contract, if I did not resign. Yes my rent went up $25 and I was charged a $20 late fee due to my paying after business hours—not the usual 12:am midnight—and it is current and fee paid.
Does the facility have the right to hold my belongings hostage and force me to sign a contract to gain access to my belongings?
Lastly, how many days do I have to withdraw from the new forced contract and what are my legal rights.
I helped a person that used to be a friend out by helping him move his possessions from one storage to another it was a complete nightmare took most the day anyway I asked him if I could store some things in there that at he agreed with no problem as I was living in my van and could not carry all my possessions and live in it anyways about 2 months 3-4 months later he notified me and said what’s up do you want to forfeit your things ?. I said know why he said your racking up quite a bill I messaged him back with lol.cuz I thought he was joking BUT he wasn’t he said I owe him 40 per month for the 5=6months my stuff has been in there what are my rights does he have the right to sublet a section of his storage out even if there was a rental agreement ?? WICH THERE WAS NONE !! I would like to get my things out of there but he now says I owe him money I had a key for 2 weeks then he took it back and he started acting up like I’m really owed him something. !!! How do I handle this I just want my stuff back !!!
It sounds like you have two different versions of the agreement. In your understanding, you paid for the opportunity to use part of the storage space (that he had already rented before you even asked for part of the space that he wasn’t filling) by helping him move his stuff there. In his understanding, your request to put stuff in the space had a built-in unspoken promise that you would share the cost of the space. When these things happen, it’s called a contract dispute. There aren’t any laws that decide contract disputes like this; the people who view their arrangement differently just have to work it out. It often helps to get a neutral party, such as a mediator, to help coordinate the conversation. Some cities have an organization that provides free mediation. You could call 211 to reach the United Way hotline that can give you contact information if your town does have free mediation. If there isn’t such a service where you live, you might ask a unbiased religious leader to coordinate the conversation about how you two can work out this problem. Good luck! I don’t want you to lose your friend or your stuff!
I rent a unit and was told I had to move all my stuff. Two months ago I made a double payment so I would be able to easily afford something coming up in March. On March 9, I received a late notice. I showed my receipt but even the owner said it could be modified. The front desk took my money. I made a small fuss but ended up paying it. But I was told I had to move. I have a 2 bedroom house in storage. I’m never late and I dont cause problems. What can I do to stay ir at least be able to have til the end of the month to find another unit?
So about 4 years ago I lost my job in NW Oklahoma put my stuff in a storage unit and moved to central Oklahoma was trying to get on my feet but was unable to pay the storage. Thinking a lien was put on my stuff then auctioned off, so I didn’t give it anymore thought. About a year went by and I get a call on my cell phone (not a number the storage owner had) but it was him. Telling me that he had rented the unit out to someone else and needed me to come get my stuff out, in disbelief I ask if hes sure about this, that its my stuff & he’s going to let me have it, he says yes he needs the storage for new tenant. My 10 yr old son & I get there that evening around 9pm, the owner comes out takes his lock off and asks if I have any money for him, I say no and there was no mention about money on the phone. Then he tells me to go ahead and get your stuff & he’s going to give me a week to pay the $2000 I owe him or he was going to file charges on me and we both know I don’t need anymore of those, oh I WILL be the one coming to get you when the warrant comes out! Now I find out that there’s a bench warrant for me. He in fact did file a misdemeanor charge “Defrauding an Innkeeper” is this at all legal? He’s a state trooper, owns the storage facility, a karate studio next to it, and trains the officers for hand to hand…I will not feel safe with him
Can anybody help me with any knowledge they may have on this matter? I plan on talking to an Attorney but was curious if this has ever happened or was in fact legal! Thanks for any input!
Is what legal– that he is charging you a fee for storing your stuff?
You say that there is a pending criminal charge against you, but I don’t see how it would benefit the owner of a storage facility to have you charged with a crime. Did you look in the Oklahoma Statutes to see if there really is such a crime? https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/index.asp?ftdb=STOKST&level=1 How did you find out that there was a bench warrant for you? Ordinarily, only the police have access to the database of bench warrants and the police don’t just tell someone that there’s a bench warrant, they act on it.
When you do have your conversation with the attorney, be sure to bring a copy of the contract you entered into when you rented the storage facility.
My aunt rented a storage and let her daughter store some things in there; not knowingly to either one of them her son in law was breaking in other storage units, and was arrested for it.
The police relinquished the unit back to the facility owners after their investigation, but now the owners won’t let my aunt get her things out of the unit
She’s not behind on rent. So do they have the right to lock her out?
I have been renting a storage bay today the storage company had a 3 rd party remove my locks without my permission to change sores the ret is paid in advance 6 months the contractor would not give company information for me to contact his company as my things were trashed and I feel some items stolen as it was full of tools ect in my mind this is clearly breaking a entering as there is a lease agreement the storage owners will not allow the people at front fest to give there contact info . I am considering legal action . When asked for company info the worker stated any questions to him would result in a fight ! Any info helps thanks
I paid my unit up. Just to be told I have 24 hours to get everything out of it the same day. And when I got to it the lock had been cut off and my things have been taken. The owner don’t even want to talk about it. And the reason for eviction is a cord that I didn’t use being plugged in a outside outlet from my unit that had been broken into
I became homeless in California, moved all I could to storage, living in my car. Starting around $175 per month, it was cheaper than any place I could live in. I now stay in a small room. The storage company has been raising rent every 6 months. Now it’s $313 without insurance. I’m out of money and can’t pay. My income hasn’t increased. I don’t know anyone who’s income increases every 6 months. They said if I “vacate” they can charge $425 for the unit. How can this be okay? Why isn’t there rent control for this?
I didn’t ask if the property owner had any right, I asked if the renter had rights. Clearly you’ve answered my question. A simple no would have sufficed
I’m renting multiple units at an extra space storage facility in Warrington pa. I’m having difficulty first time in 5 years there. New site manager tossed in the dumpster my collectables & heirlooms that were on a cart that got stuck in elevator after I stepped out. He called and said he would store safe til I came in when back in office 2 days…I went by unit same night and in dumpster were 2 antique chairs I own and photo albums . The rest was ruined . Nobody at Corp will do anything or look into this. He admits to throwing it away. How is this ok? He put red overlocks on my units that are all up to date limiting me access to his hours only. Again how is this legal. Plus I’m not the only one on lease for units I upkeep. Any advice
Warrington is in Bucks County, isn’t it? Here are the forms to use in filing a civil lawsuit against that storage business. https://pa-buckscounty.civicplus.com/380/Prothonotary-Forms Go to the county law library https://www.buckscounty.gov/786/Law-Library in Doylestown, if you can get there, and look through the index for “torts” or “property damage” or similar topics in a multi-volume source called Summary of Pennsylvania Jurisprudence. If they don’t have that source, use the Pennsylvania Legal Encyclopedia. And, of course, ask the reference librarian for help in finding sources that will help you explain why the business is liable for your losses.
If the manager promised to hold your stuff and then breached that promise knowing that you were relying on it, you should also investigate contract law in Pennsylvania.
In your complaint form, you are supposed to list all of the legal violations that you are asserting against this business. It is not enough just to tell your story. This is why you need to do the legal research in torts as well as contracts. Since you have computer access, you definitely should go to https://scholar.google.com/ and within the category of Caselaw – Pennsylvania Cases look for examples of lawsuits against storage facilities, lawsuits involving contracts to hold or protect other people’s possessions, and civil lawsuits involving damaging and discarding other people’s possessions under any circumstances even if a storage facility or lease is not involved. (Note that if you are trying to get money damages, you aren’t doing research about vandalism or other crimes; you are just looking for civil wrongs). It is likely that you will find case examples that give you good phrases to use as well as leads to additional cases and possibly even statutes.
Here is something worth knowing: Pennsylvania’s consumer protection law enables you to sue for triple the amount of your out-of-pocket losses. Take a look at that law and see if you can apply it to your situation. If you can, then you should explain that in your complaint. If you fail to raise a particular claim in your complaint, it is possible that the judge will not let you suddenly introduce it in court-although you could try. https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Unfair_Trade_Practices_Consumer_Protection_Law.pdf
If you don’t succeed in your lawsuit or you don’t feel comfortable with the whole notion of dealing with the court system, you certainly can seek alternative dispute resolution (arbitration or mediation) through the Better Business Bureau. https://www.bbb.org/us/pa/doylestown
You also have the option of filing a complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office, but that probably won’t get you any money. https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/public-protection-division/bureau-consumer-protection/ (The complaint button is in the top right corner of the screen.)
Linda Tashbook, https://homelesslaw.wordpress.com/
Is it legal for the owner of a storage unit to raise rent without notice?
It is possible, but unlikely, that your contract with the storage facility allows them to raise the rent without providing you with notice. What’s more likely is that the notice doesn’t have to be very effective. For example, maybe they are allowed to post signs around the storage facility or a newspaper ad about a forthcoming price increase if they don’t have a current correct address for a customer.