Does anyone think that Sitelink will ever have online rentals

HDMize

I have been looking at these apps that work with Site Link that rent unit online. I can see paying these prices for large facility but a small operator can't afford these fees. I do think this is the future of our industry. These kids these days would rather do things online than deal with a person.   Does anyone think site link will ever make that part of our software ?

David_McCormack

Does anyone think that Sitelink will ever have online rentals

Yes, this will happen, soon.  

HDMize

I want to thank you for your response. I am a current Sitelink user and have been for 10 years. I ask this question 6-8 years ago and got a definite NO from the owner of Sitelink. But times have changed. I am currently looking at other software that have online rentals included in there software already. I have talk to Sitelink and they told me this was only available through the API system . Question # 1 is this what you are talking about by "will happen soon"? I have checked into the API system and its not doable for a small operator . I been told this can cost somewhere between $ 3,500.00 and $ 10,000.00. 

Question # 2 are you talking about included in the program the same way it included in   "Easy Storage Solutions" includes it with there monthly subscription with no programing on our part. Other than a little website programing .

Question # 3 any clue on the time line on this? I am building a new facility and would like to have online rentals for this new facility when it is finished. 6 months? 1year? 2 years?

Please advise. I do think this is the future for our industry

David_McCormack

Hi HDMize, 

My apologies for the delay, I was traveling. 

First, thank you for your many years of patronage. 

Next, your questions: 

Question # 1 is this what you are talking about by "will happen soon"? I have checked into the API system and its not doable for a small operator . I been told this can cost somewhere between $ 3,500.00 and $ 10,000.00.  

Question # 2 are you talking about included in the program the same way it included in   "Easy Storage Solutions" includes it with there monthly subscription with no programing on our part. Other than a little website programing .

Question # 3 any clue on the time line on this? I am building a new facility and would like to have online rentals for this new facility when it is finished. 6 months? 1year? 2 years? 

#1: Smaller operators have different needs and often look for solutions that require little setup, no maintenance and do not increase operating costs. To address this need, SiteLink is working on adding an online move-in feature to the SiteLinkStore free website included with its "Under 250 Units Bundle".  I do expect some sort of setup time to be required, but it should be minimal. 

#2: I do not know how our competitor's program works, but I can tell you that with the SiteLink solution you will not need to be, or hire, a website programmer to set it up and it is included as part of your software subscription.  

#3) I believe 2018 is a near-certainty. The first quarter of 2018 seems like a stretch, but the first half seems quite doable at this point. 

I do hope you are taking advantage of all of the features and services included in your SiteLink program.  We have added at least a 1/2 dozen features and feature upgrades just this year. 

Ron

We will not do on-line rentals. We want to screen who stores here.

There are a few things we watch for like;

Storing other peoples property
Illegal activities (drugs, stolen property ect)
Gang activities
Homeless (storing food from give aways)
and more.

You would thing the homeless would not be an issue with on-line rentals, however in our area the government gives them free phones with data access. All of our bad reviews have been from homeless people when we have terminated their lease for storing food or trying to live in the units.

David_McCormack

We will not do on-line rentals. We want to screen who stores here. 

You are not alone Ron, most of the owners/managers I talk to have similar opinions.  It's worth noting that in most cases: Online Rentals & Screening tenants are both done (they're not mutually exclusive).  The most common method to get the best of both worlds is to withhold access (gate code / unit number / other)  until additional screening, or documents (often the scanning of a driver's license) can be completed.  In these cases the operator gets the commitment from the tenant (lease/payment) but that tenant can't move things in until <what ever it is the store requires>. 

Dave

HDMize

David

I am getting ready to start the process of getting the software together for me new facility. As mentioned before in this discussion I want to use software that offers online rentals. You had said this should be available Q2 2018 . My question is this still realistic is the 250 bundle program? I would love to stick with Sitelink at this new facility we been with them 10 years but i am really thinking online rentals is going to be a big deal for us moving forward. 

Please Advise

HD Mize
Red Door Storage Space
Greenfield IN

i43storage

David - This is exciting news!  I hope that doesn't mean we will be required to pay/work through SpareFoot to accomplish the rental. 

What will the cost be for operators with 283 units? 

David_McCormack

Hello again, 

Regarding: 

HDMize Registered User ✭

April 7

David
I am getting ready to start the process of getting the software together for me new facility. As mentioned before in this discussion I want to use software that offers online rentals. You had said this should be available Q2 2018 . My question is this still realistic is the 250 bundle program? I would love to stick with Sitelink at this new facility we been with them 10 years but i am really thinking online rentals is going to be a big deal for us moving forward.  
Please Advise
HD Mize 
Red Door Storage Space
Greenfield IN

HD, 

I assure you that online rentals for the 250 and under are coming. They are currently being developed. My best guess months ago was Q2, which was off just a bit. Now that we're actually writing and testing, I can say with more confidence Q3 2018.  A side note:  MyHub is not limited on timing or frequency of releases in the same way the Windows client is, so Q3 doesn't necessarily mean the very end of Q3

David_McCormack

Hi Jean, 

RE: 

i43storage 

David - This is exciting news!  I hope that doesn't mean we will be required to pay/work through SpareFoot to accomplish the rental.  

What will the cost be for operators with 283 units?

Jean Marie
I-43 Storage

There is no requirement to use Sparefoot.  The decision to add online rentals to SiteLink Store was on our road map long ago.

I am not aware of any costs associated with online move-in feature. 

Thanks, 
Dave 

i43storage

David_McCormack said:

Hi Jean, 

RE: 

i43storage 

David - This is exciting news!  I hope that doesn't mean we will be required to pay/work through SpareFoot to accomplish the rental.  

What will the cost be for operators with 283 units?

Jean Marie
I-43 Storage

There is no requirement to use Sparefoot.  The decision to add online rentals to SiteLink Store was on our road map long ago.

I am not aware of any costs associated with online move-in feature. 

Thanks, 
Dave 

Thank you Dave -

i43storage

David_McCormack said:

Hi Jean, 

RE: 

i43storage 

David - This is exciting news!  I hope that doesn't mean we will be required to pay/work through SpareFoot to accomplish the rental.  

What will the cost be for operators with 283 units?

Jean Marie
I-43 Storage

There is no requirement to use Sparefoot.  The decision to add online rentals to SiteLink Store was on our road map long ago.

I am not aware of any costs associated with online move-in feature. 

Thanks, 
Dave 

Thank you Dave!  Looking forward to this feature. 

teamcapitola

@Ron hit my concern on the nose; online (unseen) rental of a storage unit could open you up to a lot of potential issues.

The crooked company who rents a unit online using false ID/name, dumps a load of Hazmat waste into a unit and disappears?

Ok...that's an extreme example, and probably wouldn't happen, but we want to meet and see who is renting at our facility. 

A nearby facility had somebody use a fake DL to rent a unit, loaded it up with old car tires, and was never heard from again. The owner of the facility had to pay through the nose to dispose of it all!

Another example was a group of thieves hitting storage facilities; they would call around looking for facilities with lax security, little to no staff etc... they could rent a unit unseen, get access to the facility, and you can guess the rest.

I guess you would have to quantify how many rentals one would lose by not having online rentals, and weigh it against the potential pitfalls of doing it?

I just see too many ways it could be abused by unscrupulous persons.

Plus, we want to know who's renting units at our facility...

i43storage

@Ron and @teamcapitola - 

To a certain extent, I have no idea what my tenants are storing.  They could already be storing someone else's property, sawed-off shotguns, bomb-making materials, kittens, etc.  How do you avoid tenants not storing nefarious items now?

I share your concern about using someone else's ID to rent the unit and thereby not being able to track them down if the need should arise. 

@David_McCormack - Perhaps the online rental could include

• requiring a DL be entered
• requiring the DL address match the credit card billing address 
• requiring that when the credit card payment is made, the billing address MUST be entered and MUST match to run

I have a lot of tenants where none of that would work (they just moved, someone else is paying, etc.); however, if that is the case, then they would need to come in.

Thank you @Ron and @teamcapitola for highlighting your concerns about online rental.  That's why I'm on this blog - to learn what's going on out there.  All storage locations have different parameters to work under.  I certainly do not want to be naive about this new tool, however, being a one-man-show outside of town with little to no office hours; online rental will cut down on a lot of back and forth travel time just to rent one unit (not to mention cutting down on the frustration when they don't show up and I've wasted an hour of my time).

David_McCormack

Hello @i43storage, 

It's probably worth mentioning that online rentals are not new to SiteLink, we were the first software to incorporate it (with the integration done by our web development partners.) Thousands of SiteLink stores are using online rentals right now, and have been for nearly a decade. The SiteLink Marketplace partners that provide our customers with custom online rental solutions have solved all of these problems quite some time ago. With that in mind:

I share your concern about using someone else's ID to rent the unit and thereby not being able to track them down if the need should arise.  
@David_McCormack - Perhaps the online rental could include 

• requiring a DL be entered

• requiring the DL address match the credit card billing address 

• requiring that when the credit card payment is made, the billing address MUST be entered and MUST match to run

I have a lot of tenants where none of that would work (they just moved, someone else is paying, etc.); however, if that is the case, then they would need to come in.

The approach customers most often share with me to address the concerns stated above is to withhold the gate-code, unit number or other critical piece of information until the tenant physically shows up in person to move their belongings into the unit. At that time the manager gets a copy of the drivers license, picture of the license place, etc. and uploads it to the the tenant's record in SiteLink (whatever you would normally collect and inspect if it had been a walk-in.) As it has been told to me: This is the best of both worlds, because you (facility manager/owner) secure the rental fast, sight-unseen, but still go through your checks & process to protect yourself. 

I will also share that, of our customers that have implemented a custom online rental solution through one of our partners, I have never talked to anyone who's "turned it off" once they've implemented it.

  Dave

finger1foods

I hope not! We need to know who we are renting too! fake ID FAKE Info. We need to see who we are renting too.

finger1foods

So many scammers out there. would be stupid to do any contracts on-line.

Sue_C

HDMize said:

I have been looking at these apps that work with Site Link that rent unit online. I can see paying these prices for large facility but a small operator can't afford these fees. I do think this is the future of our industry. These kids these days would rather do things online than deal with a person.   Does anyone think site link will ever make that part of our software ?

Good news everyone! The new online rental feature is now in place. Get all the details in our News article SiteLink Adds Out-of-the-Box Online Rental Options to Web Template & SiteLinkStore