u/Green_Nomad

I am a self-storage newbie. (I've never actually had one myself.) I live in the East Bay (Oakland). I am emptying out my late mom's house and have a bunch of boxes and plastic containers with various family keepsakes, heirlooms, etc. most of it is books, paper, photos, clothing and fabrics, and various wall hangings and decorative objects, as well as some records and a few electronics. Most of these are very precious to me.

I am looking for a 10x10 climate controlled space to store all this stuff. I intend to continue sorting and possibly downsizing these items but I figure that the storage may well be with me for decades to come in some form.

I would love some advice from more experienced storage renters on how to find a reasonably priced climate controlled unit. I'm discovering that it's hard to find climate controlled at all. Also I am reading a lot about how the prices go up and up and up and that seems like it would become unsustainable very quickly. I am willing to drive a bit away from Oakland. Maybe half an hour or 40 minutes? to find the right space. I would like to stay out of San Francisco though.

In my experience, California now makes it mighty hard for landlords to ensure themselves against pet related extra expenses and damages. I say this as a person who loves animals, keeps a dog and is pretty open-minded about tenants having animals too. But ...

Animals do cause extra wear and tear, sometimes a lot! Normally I would try to cover that with an extra pet deposit or extra monthly pet rent, but many California tenants are now getting sneaky about this and registering their pets as "emotional support animals," which in California gives them the same privileges and exemptions as service dogs. You can't refuse them, and can't charge an extra deposit for pet rent for them.

What do you as a landlord do to protect yourself? How do you advertise and structure your rent and deposit to prevent somebody from moving in with an unruly pet and ruining your property?