Don’t Make This Common Mistake on Your Self-Storage Lease
At Patterson Self Storage, we work with customers of all ages, but there’s one issue we often see with senior clients and it’s one that can cause serious complications if not handled properly.
Many of our senior clients list only their own name on their lease. That works fine until something unexpected happens.
Here’s a true story from our storage center:
A client passed away, and she was the only person listed on her self-storage lease. Her Trust left all personal belongings to her children, but because she hadn’t granted them access to the storage space or even mentioned it in her Trust, the family had to wait for a judge to decide who should have access to the space. They had flown in from the East Coast and weren’t planning to make a second trip just to clean out their mom’s storage space. We felt for them, but legally we had to follow the Trust’s instructions.
That experience inspired me to update my own estate documents. I added a clause specifying “personal property including anything stored off-site”. This may be something you should consider (with help from your attorney) if you rent a self-storage space. I suppose this could cover furs in storage or an offsite wine collection agreement as well.
Many things are stored in a self-storage space and maybe the client is leaving her couch to her son but the photo albums to her daughter. Be specific in your estate planning or there could be a delay. Often the children or spouse want immediate access to retrieve some photos for a memorial service or want access while they are all together in town and are very frustrated when they can’t access the space without proper authorization.
If you want to avoid legal hurdles for your heirs, here’s what we recommend:
Storage Tips to Protect You and Your Family:
In a safe known location for whoever you trust and want to give access in an emergency or after your death put:
- A copy of your lease
• The lock combination or the key to your space
• The gate access code and interior building access (if applicable)
Or
- Consider adding a second name to your lease
And remember, when you or they have vacated your storage space be sure to remove the lock and let our office know you are vacating the space, so you do not incur additional rental charges. We’ve had clients unintentionally leave their lock on and continue paying rent on an empty space. Don’t let that happen to you.
At Patterson Self Storage, we go above and beyond by providing a clean and convenient family-owned storage center. We care about our tenants and community. We take our job of keeping your property safe and secure seriously. If we know of someone trying to enter your space who is not on your lease or who you have not given access to personally, they will be denied entry until we speak to you or have an official document telling us they can enter your space.
If you have questions about how to protect your belongings or want to update your lease, we’re here to help.
Looking for reliable, local self-storage?
Visit us at www.pattersonselfstorage.com to find the best self-storage spaces in Santa Barbara and Goleta and see why families and seniors trust Patterson for personal help with their self- storage needs.
By Trudi Carey, Founder of Patterson Self Storage
