Something people rarely know about when they rent storage space are the legal rights regarding self storage.
They should, and we aim to provide the information you need in this article. We are Mouser Self Storage, serving the South Fort Worth, Alvarado, and Johnson County areas with self-storage solutions for every situation. Call us at 682-800-3949 for more information and current pricing.
Now, let’s deep dive into the legalities of renting storage units.
When you rent storage space, be aware!
Considering the popularity of self-storage, and the huge number of people who avail themselves of storage rental resources, it is somewhat surprising and alarming that more people are not aware of the legalities at play when you rent storage space.
First, the obvious: you cannot store illegal material in a storage unit. You cannot store explosives, illegal drugs, etc., for any purpose at any time. This seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many times this is an issue.
The second main point we should mention has to do with liability. Who is liable should a theft occur, and who is liable if an accident should occur? We will delve into this matter in the next section since it arises quite often.
Third, if you should become delinquent in your monthly rental fees, when will liens be placed on your property, and when can that property be sold by the self-storage management?
Fourth, if you should rent a small hobby shop, what constitutes a hobby and are you allowed to make money from that hobby? In other words, is that storage unit, used for your hobby, a money-making business rather than a casual hobby?
And now, the major complication in any discussion about legalities: state laws differ wildly across the county. What is true in Texas is not necessarily true in Iowa and is not necessarily true in Oregon.
Who is responsible for what?
Another nebulous topic is responsibility with regards to theft and injury. Generally speaking, if an accident should occur on the storage place property, an accident caused by negligence on the part of the management, they are responsible for the reparation. All storage places carry liability insurance for this possibility.
If theft should occur, who is responsible? The answer to that question will be determined based on the unique situation. If a tenant does not lock their unit, they are responsible. It is their negligence which caused the theft to be possible. If the storage company management fails to lock the main access gate at night, responsibility shifts to them. And so on! Each case is judged based on the specific circumstances.
Ignorance of the laws is not an excuse
We cannot emphasize this point enough. You, the customer, sign a rental agreement at the time of your rental transaction, and the legalities are spelled out in that agreement. If you fail to read it thoroughly, you cannot claim ignorance of the law. Your responsibility begins at that moment of reading the rental agreement, and that has consistently been held up in courts of law across this country.
A final word about Mouser Self Storage.
Mouser Self Storage and our sister company, Blue Mound 287 Self Storage, offer a wide range of self storage options including car storage, RV self storage, boat storage units, and small hobby shops. Call us for all of your storage needs.