This question about fluctuating self storage prices is one we are asked from time to time, so what better time to answer than in this article by Mouser Self Storage, serving South Fort Worth, Alvarado, and Johnson County with outstanding, secure self storage. Call us at 682-800-3949 for information about current pricing and availability.
Yes, self storage prices can be changed.
When you sign a contract with one of these companies, you think that you’ve locked in a price for the rest of your lease, right?
Not true. Almost all contracts in the self-storage industry are month-to-month. This means they can increase your rent at any time with a 30-day notice.
National companies increase rent for current customers frequently, oftentimes twice a year. So, a unit you thought would be $70 per month suddenly costs you $115 per month. If you stay a year with that new rate, you’ll be dishing out an extra $540 you hadn’t budgeted for originally.
Thirty days’ notice is necessary.
This is the law regarding self storage prices and it must be followed. You must be given thirty days’ notice of an impending price increase. Having said that, if you change your mailing address, and do not notify the storage company, you may be letting them off the hook for responsibility.
What is to prevent the company from changing the rental price by an exorbitant amount? Supply and demand! The laws of the market will generally be enough of a deterrence. In other words, why increase your storage prices by $50 per month when no other company in the city is doing it? Customers who are price conscious will call around for the best price, and you can bet, if they find a company with a history if infrequent price increases, they will shift their allegiance in a heartbeat.
One other thing to be aware of: it is all negotiable. It costs you nothing to try and negotiate a better price. If the suggested price increase is beyond your willingness to pay, go to the storage management and try to agree upon a better price. If it is a local company, this tactic may work in your favor. If it is a national company, chances are you better be prepared to move your belongings at the end of the thirty-day grace period.
Our suggestion, go with a local company.
You may have already guessed what we are going to say next, but we will say it anyway: we strongly suggest that you use a local self-storage company rather than a national company. Local companies have much more flexibility in dealing with these issues, and because they are local, they are much less apt to gauge customers who are also their fellow local citizens.
A final word about Mouser Self Storage.
Mouser Self Storage and our sister company, Blue Mound 287 Self Storage, are locally owned and operated. Call us for all of your storage needs including car storage, RV self storage, boat storage units, small hobby shops and, of course, storage for your household goods.