r/selfstorage

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.

I was current on payment.

They caught me once sleeping in it.

Then came hell. I had a rental truck I was using repo’d from me. The repo guy said he’d let me unload the stuff in front of my storage unit but fast.

This unload from a 26’ Penske took hours. All night, actually.

Then for the remaining week, I had to get all of the stuff into the unit and I work every day pretty much all night long every day until it was all in there and they saw me on camera doing it. They knew what I was doing and the manager even said we know you’re in a situation right now so I got it all in and while I was doing that getting it in they terminated my lease.

Then they gave me the termination date and it arrived and I couldn’t get my stuff into the truck fast enough on that particular date so the following day took my ability to access my unit away from me and so I only got maybe a pick up truck full of stuff out the rest of it still in there or they said it was actually disposed of and that was they said they were disposing of it within like a couple weeks ago my termination date I can’t believe it

The cops won’t do anything they won’t do anything so I’m considering getting in there with a horoscope camera and looking over the ledge or the rollup door to see if my stuff is still in there

Does Right Space act this way all the time I mean these are all of my belongings everything I own I didn’t do anything really that wrong. I like I said I was currently on my payment. What’s the deal? Any opinions?

I mean at this point if the cops aren’t gonna help me, they’re gonna help me. I’ll cut the lock and break out all my stuff and take the chance of going to jail I mean, what’s the court date and some jail time over losing all of the stuff that you own.???

Has anyone had success and/or challenges creating a new Google Business when rebranding a facility? We want to make sure that Google doesn't merge the old business page with the new rebranded one. Specifically, we don't want to take on all the bad reviews from the previous brand. From a quick search it sounds like sometimes Google may merge a new business page with the old one if it sees it as a duplicate, but not sure if it would apply to this case. In our case we would have a new name, signage, website and phone number.

I’m honestly still bawling my eyes writing this.

I (27F) recently moved into a new home with my husband (27M). We had to put a large portion of our belongings into a storage unit while we planned to renovate our basement—mainly because my parents were moving in with us and we just didn’t have the space yet.

The plan was temporary. A couple weeks, maybe a month tops. So we didn’t opt into the insurance.

That decision is haunting me now.

The renovation dragged on for months… and today I got a call around 1PM that our unit had been broken into.

Over $5,000 worth of items gone.

Not just expensive things—but irreplaceable ones. Family antiques. Personal memories. Things you can’t just rebuy.

What makes it worse is the way it happened:

The thief broke through the main gate

Then got into multiple units (ours + 6 others)

And even broke the lock that we were required to purchase through the facility

We trusted this place to keep our belongings safe, and it feels like that didn’t matter at all. And screw the thieves... they also took decades of memories from me!

They told me they already filed a police report and started an insurance claim—but I don’t even have insurance on the unit.

So now I’m left wondering:

What are the chances police actually investigate something like this?

Has anyone had success getting compensation from a storage company without insurance?

Is there anything I should be doing right now besides the police report + itemized list?

I’ve dealt with police before when someone hit my car, and nothing really came of it even when I pushed… so I don’t know if I should expect anything different here.

I feel frustrated, stupid for not getting insurance, and honestly just violated. Sure, items can replaced... but i worked hard for those items to pay for them with MY money. My personal belongings like time capsules are gone. Sigh.

If anyone has gone through something similar or has advice on what to do next, I’d really appreciate it.

I'm looking at my first storage rental and I've read the basic tips about climate control and access hours. But I'm worried about the things that only become obvious after you've already moved your stuff in.

For people who have been renting for a while, what questions do you wish you had asked the manager before signing? Things like how often rates actually go up, or if there are any hidden fees for after-hours access. Also, is it worth asking about how long the current manager has been there or the turnover rate of tenants? I'm trying to spot problems before I'm locked in. Any advice on what to look for in the lease agreement that people usually skip? I'd also like to know if there's a way to tell if a facility is going to raise rent aggressively within the first year. Thanks.

Curious what everyone here is using for their PMS/management software.

I’ve been looking into building some tools for self storage operators and managers, and I’m trying to get a better idea of what people actually use day to day.

Are you on SiteLink, storedge, Tenant Inc, Cubby, Easy Storage, QuikStor, something else? Old school spreadsheets?

Also, what annoys you about it?

Anything you wish your current software did better? Could be reporting, rentals, payments, delinquency, rate increases, lead follow up, reviews, call tracking, auctions, gate access, tenant communication, whatever.

Just trying to understand what’s actually being used and what problems people still run into.

I went to my storage today after a month and rodents went through everything. Poop everywhere, chewed the couch up, etc. what are my options? In California if that helps

I’ve been renting a unit at a larger chain facility for about 6 months now, and I’m starting to worry about the typical rate hikes people talk about. I’ve heard that some places increase prices pretty aggressively after the initial move-in rate, and I’d like to stay ahead of that if possible

For those with more experience, is there an ideal time or strategy to either delay or minimize those increases? For example, does it actually help to call and ask for a better rate before an increase hits, or is it more effective to wait until you get a notice? I’ve also heard that occupancy levels at a location can impact flexibility, but I’m not sure how to gauge that as a renter.

Another thing I’m curious about is whether moving to a different unit within the same facility (or even another nearby location from the same company) is a realistic workaround, or if that ends up costing more in the long run

Would appreciate hearing what’s worked (or not worked) for others dealing with chain storage companies

I’ve been looking into how marketing and AI are merging in the self-storage industry. From dynamic pricing algorithms to AI-driven customer service bots that handle inquiries at 2 AM, the 'boring' business of four walls and a lock is getting high-tech. Are any other facility owners using AI for lead generation or gate automation, or are we still better off with the traditional 'human touch' for this industry?

I am storing some old computer equipment and stereo components. Nothing museum grade, but stuff I would like to keep working. My current standard unit gets very hot in summer and damp in winter. I have seen mixed opinions on whether climate control actually prevents damage to electronics. Some say as long as humidity stays below sixty percent, standard is fine. Others insist that temperature swings cause condensation inside components. I am in a region with humid summers and freezing winters.

Is climate control worth the extra monthly cost for electronics, or am I overthinking it? Also curious about putting electronics inside sealed plastic bins with silica gel packs inside a standard unit. Does that work well enough? I would rather not pay double if simple precautions do the job. But I also do not want to open a box of corroded circuit boards next year. What has actually worked for you long term? I would love to hear from anyone who stored computers or stereo gear for more than a year in a standard vs climate unit. Thanks.

Facility I use has had rodent problems in the past, they came through my units even with no food, vitamins, liquids, etc, basically tore up some new rugs and blankets I had. Since then I have moved everything to a new unit, all in plastic bins and haven't had an issue, early on they passed through so saw a couple droppings but that was it. I have a small refrigerator that I need to store, it didn't get much use. Nothing spilled inside or anything like that, though I'm concerned of maybe the freon/evap? I don't know much about them, just curious if it's a bad idea.

I need to store my furniture for 6 months from June to December in the East coast.

I am extremely worried about pest / rodent problems, after going through a nightmare of roach infestation in a high-rise apartment in nyc.

I don't care about the price, as I'm only storing for 6 months.

Does anyone have any recommendations on storage chains with very high hygiene standards? Please help I'm growing so anxious and stressed just thinking about it

I’m renting an outdoor unit for furniture and boxes. The place seems clean, but I’ve noticed some droppings in the back corner of my unit. I’d rather not use poison because I don’t want dead mice rotting somewhere I can’t reach. Traps are an option, but I can only check the unit about once a month.

Has anyone had real success with things like peppermint oil, steel wool, or ultrasonic repellers? Also, do plastic totes actually help, or can mice chew through them anyway? I’m storing wool blankets and clothes, so I’d really like to avoid damage. Would upgrading to an indoor/climate-controlled unit help at all, or is that not much better for rodents?

I’m in a rural area, so field mice are pretty common.