There’s a dirty little secret in the self-storage business; auctions of your property.  I learned this through an acquaintance that happens to own one of those self-storage places and he loves it.  In fact, according to him, it’s amazing how many people either stop paying the monthly fees or just forget they have things in storage.

It doesn’t matter to him whether anyone pays or not because either way, he wins.  Let me explain.  If you pay your $100 + bill each month, he wins.  If you stop paying your bill each month or forget you have a storage unit (I can understand this if there is a tragedy in the family, etc.), after a small waiting period (varies from state to state) he can auction your stuff to the highest bidder, sight unseen, for what you owe.

So if your grandmother is storing her valued china in a self-storage unit and it is worth $5,000 and she is hospitalized; it is conceivable that her china could be sold off for 6 months back fees and payment.  Far less than it is worth!  This explains why you can see the storage unit numbers in the local paper under auctions.

Of course, if you are a buyer, you get whatever you get.  So if there’s nothing much there you may pay for nothing much.  Either way the owner gets paid.  To avoid this altogether, all you have to do is get your own storage unit right in your back yard.  You will always have access and you know where your things are and who is touching them.