PRICELESS POSSESSIONS

kromoleon

Customers have strong emotional attachments to their belongings. As unsettling as it is, they trust that a storage facility will guard their valuables as their own.

The worth that one places on their valuables is often overestimated, so it’s not surprising that customers are extremely possessive of their ‘things.’ We cannot place judgment or argue otherwise. Yep, the customer has sole ownership of THEIR tools, furniture, collectibles and personal memories. How they evaluate a treasured item is their own right, even though it doesn’t always reflect logical thinking.  

This vulnerability is not to be taken advantage of. Although driven by emotion, they remain a savvy consumer. Shopping for trusted guardianship, the customer expects their monthly cost to include more than just ‘empty space.’

“Will my belongings be treated well?”
“Will they find comfort in their new environment?”
“Can I come visit whenever I want?”

Being disconnected from their cherished ‘stuff’ creates an unsettling fear. When the customer doesn’t have a choice (or isn’t prepared to part ways), they’re hopeful that someone else cares enough to keep their valuables safely guarded.

OutboxChar

But, you can't have them there everyday 'visiting their stuff' either. It has to be a happy medium, "Yes, your valuable collection of washtubs will be fine until you need it again." And they understand that it's for storage, not a social club or a zoo to visit.

khise

My first concern with this is that, as self storage facilities, we are NOT warehousemen. We do not "safeguard" items placed in storage by a tenant. The facility has the responsibility to maintain a secure environment, i.e., fenced and gated areas, doors that are in proper working condition, roofs with no leaks, etc. We do not, however, accept any responsibility for the "safety" of stored items. That is what contents insurance is for! I explain this to every new customer who signs a lease with us.

And yes, this isn't a social club, But....a tenant has a right to come onto the property any time during the posted hours and "visit" their stuff! There are no restrictions in their lease that says otherwise. I agree that it probably isn't the most desirable thing to have a tenant inside the facility, at their unit, every single day, but it is within their rights to do so as long as they aren't infringing on other tenants' rights. 

ThriftyStorage

When I came back to the United States from Puerto Rico I used storage for one year. I never even thought about my belongings after that!

ThriftyStorage

How do you feel about tenants that are sitting outside of their units in lounge chairs for hours- on- end? Do they have a right to do this or that?

ThriftyStorage

Do you know one thing that says a lot about how a tenant feels about their belongings is how they place the items in the unit. If neat or just thrown in!!!

Orkocean

Thrifty it really comes down to the wording in your leases. If you have something in your lease stating no "loitering", that tenants must be "actively" sorting through or moving items then you can enforce rules and prevent them from just "hanging out in lounge chairs". If you don't have anything in your lease/rules stating it is not allowed then you're gonna have a tough time with stubborn types.

How they store items doesn't always represent the value of the items. Their move could of been in an emergency/stressful situation preventing them from taking the time to do it right. But when it comes down to auction time, you show me a unit with carefully packed items that are wrapped and cared for you can guarantee that price is going to be higher than the landslide waiting to happen unit.

ThriftyStorage

Orkocean: In our leases here at Thrifty Storage we have wording in relationship to loitering. We are a 24 hour facility. In some instances loitering can be a judgment call. For instance, each morning I check the incoming log on Digi Gate, if I see where a tenant came into the facility at 12:01 a.m. and is still there at 10:00 a.m. we have a concern. I have tenants that have been at this facility for 9 years and they do not hang around their units like that.

Now, for packing a unit. Like I said you can tell a lot about how much someone cares about their belonging according to how they place them in the unit. I am not saying that everything has to be wrapped in plastic, but the items should be stacked neatly. Have you ever heard this expression? You can tell a lot about a person according to how clean the inside of their car is!! I have seen some units that where stacked so neat that I wanted to take a pic of them.

Orkocean

Yeah... midnight to 10am is definitely someone enjoying some cheap living.. We took one over in Orlando off OBT, if you're not familiar with the area it's street walker/homeless all over. The place was like a prison, huge timelocked gates, my boss and me broke in ourselves at 2am when we took it with a stack of eviction letters in hand. Booted out 16 people that night.

Sigh.. I wish my car stayed clean.. when i'm not too busy i'm hand washing/waxing it weekly on my one off day, but Texas heat started making that a chore I've put off for far too long.