January, 2009 Must Self Storage Renters Disclose Social Security Numbers?
Self storage renters are people who hire public storehouses to store their valuable items. The storehouse operator should provide adequate protection to the items placed in the storehouse. There is a lot of cases of theft and many thieves pose as tenants or employees and steal their belongings. This happens because many operators do not have any foolproof systems to uniquely identify their tenants. The federal and state laws for identity fraudulency crime differ from one state to another. Some states are very strict while others are lenient. However, the operator holds the responsibility of providing safety to the items that are placed in his storehouses. He should make an effort to protect the identification information of his tenants and employees.
He should maintain the privacy of his tenants and employees. Many operators ask the self storage renters to provide their social security numbers while signing the tenancy contract. As there are a lot of cases of the social security numbers of the tenants being leaked, it is a matter of debate if a tenant needs to provide his social security number when he signs the tenancy agreement. In case it is mandatory for him to provide, the storehouse operator should take the full responsibility of protecting the number from the public eye. He should ensure that his security system does not allow for leakages of the social security number.
Earlier when social security numbers were allotted to citizens of a country, they were assured that they would be used only during social security programs but nowadays they are being used to establish the identity of a person. The self storage renters are not allotted any storehouses unless they furnish their social security number to the operator. As these numbers are being widely used, they have become easily accessible and a lot of fraudulences are taking place. The cheats are using the social security numbers of people and accessing their bank and credit card accounts information and creating a racket. They are also assuming the identity of people and establishing new bank accounts under their names.
Though revealing social security numbers has become an issue of concern for the tenants they are left with no option but to provide them to the operators to hire a storehouse. The operators are not accepting the tenants without asking for their social security numbers. The self storage renters have to compulsorily prove their identity through their social security codes. There is no law that prevents the storehouse operators from asking for social security numbers of tenants. Worse still there is no restriction on the way they can use the information.
A tenant has the right to reveal his social security number to the storehouse operator under the privacy laws of most countries, but this law is applicable only to the government agencies and not to the private ones. Under this law, the agencies have to fully disclose in writing how they are going to make use of the social security number of a tenant. The law also explains the situations under which it can be requested by the authorities of any agency. The self storage renters should understand that they cannot be refused any amenities if they do not disclose their social security number to the agency from which they wish to take amenities from.
posted by Self Storage Owner January 05, 2009 7:05 | permalink | Self Storage Renters Definition of a Self Storage Renter
A self storage renter is a person who hires public storing areas to store his belongings. There are certain things that a tenant must bear in mind before hiring out a public storehouse.
All good firms that provide places for storing items ask the tenant to first go through an agreement that consists of the terms and conditions for using the storehouses. The tenant is expected to read the agreement carefully and understand each and every clause and its implications. He should consult a legal expert, if necessary to clarify any legal implications of the clauses that he is not able to understand clearly.
A self storage renter can also take the help of an assets manager in understanding the full implication of the clauses mentioned in the agreement and also regarding the appropriate action that he has to take in case of any issues that he might have regarding them.
The tenant should always try to maintain a smooth relationship with the firm. He should pay his hiring charges and other dues by the deadlines mentioned and should always try to stick to the deadlines as far as possible, to avoid any hassles. Some of the tenants try to procrastinate making the payments. This only creates a bad impression in the mind of the owner and he will not excuse if this becomes a regular feature. He will ask the self storage renter to serve a penalty for defaulting. Ultimately the tenant will end up paying additional charges. If a tenant does not pay any heed to the warnings of the owner of the firm, does not pay the hiring charges on time and leaves his items in the storehouse for a long time without attending to them; the storehouse authorities will take possession of the items in it and auction it off. The faulty tenant will not have the right to claim his property.
Many times, before taking possession of the items in an abandoned storehouse, the authorities send a notice to the tenant and finally take possession of the items when the self storage renter does not pay up the charges or does not respond to the warnings in the written notice.
Many times the tenants do not default intentionally. It happens because they simply forget the due dates. In such a case, they can always opt for an auto pay program that reminds them automatically about the due date a few days in advance of the due date so that people can remember and prepare themselves for making the payments. Sometimes the charges are debited automatically from the bank accounts of some people based on their credit card numbers or bank account details. The self storage renter does not have to bother about remembering to make the payments as they will be automatically taken care of by the auto pay program. The auto pay program saves one from fines and penalties. It is being increasingly used by busy individuals as they do not have the time to remember to make payments owing to their busy schedules.
The tenant should always bear in mind that he is ultimately responsible for the items that are placed in the storehouse. He should always ensure these items against natural calamities, thefts and any mishaps. The tenant should always provide accurate information about himself and the items that he has placed in the storehouse.
posted by Self Storage Owner January 03, 2009 7:12 | permalink | Self Storage Customer Helpful Tips To Self Storage Customers
Self storage customers are persons who uses public storehouses for storing his belongings. Packing items for storing is an art and many people are not aware of the correct method of packing items. As a result they end up selecting too large or too small storehouses and pay for any features that are not actually necessary for preserving their items in good condition. There are some guidelines that one can acquaint oneself with before he packs up items for public storehouses.
When storing items in public storehouses, individual items should not be kept loose. All items should be packed in boxes. Small and delicate items should be packed up in paper before being packed in the boxes. The self storage customers should pack the breakable items in adequate padding material so that they do not bang against each other and get damaged. While packing furniture care should be taken that all the parts are packed securely together. The nuts, screws and bolts should be placed in polythene or nylon bags and placed along with the dismantled furniture. No item should ever be placed loose in a public storehouse even though placed in an individual storehouse.
Heavy and light items should be placed in different boxes. The items that are really heavy, such as, books should be kept in small boxes, while the items that are small such as, clothes or delicate items should be placed in large boxes.
The self storage customers should take special care of items that are breakable. Dishes and cups that are made of porcelain or any other breakable material should be padded with adequate cushioning material before being packed. The bottom of the box in which these items are placed should be cushioned with old cloth or newspapers. The sides should be padded with bubble wrap. It is not enough to just pad the walls of the container. Each item should also be individually packed in cloth or newspaper. Otherwise the individual items might get rubbed against each other during transportation and hence develop cracks on their surfaces.
The self storage customers should take care that the items do not touch each other. It is better tom place the items in pockets in cartons that are specifically designed to place cups and dishes. This arrangement will keep the items securely in place while they are being transported and also in the warehouse. People can be assured that their items will remain safe when packed in such a manner. Many firms providing storehouses also supply the materials that are required for packing. One can always buy these resources from these firms and use them for packing their items. Some firms provide these resources for free.
The self storage customers should use bubble wrap for packing his items as much as possible because it is an excellent item for packing things. Bubble wrap is an excellent material for packing delicate articles.
Small cabinets and side tables should be packed with linen. Light items should be placed on along with these items so that there is no free area and all the items are packed intact. Cabinets and drawers should be emptied before being packed. Otherwise they will add to the weight of the items and the boxes in which they are packed might not able to withstand their weight.
posted by Self Storage Owner January 02, 2009 6:24 | permalink | Self Storage Customer Protection Provided By Self Storage Managers
Security is of utmost importance to people who store their valuable belongings in public storing areas. Self storage managers play a vital role in providing security to the items stored in the public storehouses of their firms. These security measures are provided in different ways and they are solely aimed at giving maximum safety to the items. Security to the items is given by the firms providing the public storing amenities People might store furniture, jewelry, clothes or any other precious item. They place them in storehouses for preserving their quality and for maintaining them without any damages for a long period of time.
The self storage managers see to it that each and every item in the storehouse is provided maximum safety. Any firm providing public storing utilities takes some basic security features. These are as follows.
The first thing that they do after allotting the tenants a storing area is to provide each and every tenant a PIN number that uniquely identifies him as the owner of the property that has been kept in the storehouse. All the items that are from a particular tenant with a specific PIN number are kept securely in a closet with a matching code. This ensures that only the person in possession of a unique PIN number has access to his property and not anyone else.
The self storage managers also equip the storing areas with more security features like electronic gates which open to the tenants only when they identify them either by their identification numbers or biometric identification. Biometric identification is a more efficient method of identification in comparison to identification cards and pin numbers.
Some of the storing areas have close circuit televisions fitted in their campus, so that every movement of a person who is in the premises is observed and recorded.
Some firms provide insurance for the items stored in them. There are different types of insurance coverage for different types of items. The tenants should ask the self storage managers about the insurance coverage that their items can be put under. A tenant can opt for an exclusive insurance cover if he wants to. The insurance schemes that are generally offered for items in the public storehouses give protection against burglaries and thefts and also against natural calamities such as, fire, floods and earthquakes. It is recommended that all tenants protect their items that are stored in the public storehouse by placing them under one or the other insurance scheme. Otherwise these items might run the risk of being damaged or stolen.
Self storage managers restrict the time of access of the storehouses in an attempt to provide enhanced security to the items placed in the storehouses. They have specific hours during which the tenants identify themselves at the entry point to the storehouses before entering them and accessing their belongings. There are certain firms that allow their tenants to enter their storing areas at all times of the day. But they have very strong security checks which may be automated for humanized systems.
The tenants are asked to provide their personal information and the purpose of storing their items in the public storehouse before they are allotted any area. Suspicious items, such as arms and ammunition are not allowed to be stored in the storehouses.
posted by Self Storage Owner January 01, 2009 6:35 | permalink | Self Storage ManagerDecember, 2008 Who Is A Self Storage Manager
A self storage manager is a person who supervises the storing processes and maintains the storehouses in general. Public storehouses are always utilized by individuals or firms to store household or business purpose articles. Many firms provide storehouses to individuals and corporate clients. Some of these firms provide transportation amenities for moving the items from houses or offices. There are different types of transportation amenities that one can choose from. One can choose to hire a truck along with a driver or opt to drive the truck himself. One can also choose to take assistance from professionals for uploading and unloading from the trucks.
A self storage manager should be consulted before shifting items to the storehouses. There are different types of storehouses available. Before opting for a storehouse one should always take into account the locality in which the storehouse is located and its security in that area. There are two or three grades of storehouses depending upon their sizes. There are warehouses of different dimensions based on which they are categorized as large warehouses, mini warehouses and medium sized warehouses. One should choose the warehouse house that is sufficiently large enough to accommodate all the items to be stored but not all that large to waste area.
A self storage manager is a professional who, ideally, has expert knowledge of the type and size of storehouse that is required for storing a given quantity of some items. He can provide some guidelines for selecting storehouses and for storing items. To begin with, the storehouse that is located in the vicinity of a house or office is preferred very much in comparison to a storehouse that is remotely located. The storehouse that is located close by is easily accessible and one can visit it frequently to store or remove items from the storing area according to his convenience. He will have the liberty to visit the storehouse at any hour of the day.
A self storage manager can inform a prospective tenant about the different storing packages that are offered by his firm. There are standardized packages as well as customized packages. One can opt for the packages that best suit the requirements. Standardized packages might have a lot of features that are applicable as well as a lot of features that are not applicable. The features that are not applicable are a waste and one might have to spend extra money on them. It is better to opt for customized packages as they can be tailored to meet the exact demands of the tenant. Different firms vary in the packages that they offer and the prices they quote for them.
A self storage manager can help one in making a plan for storing items. According to the plan a storehouse can be selected. Various plans come with different rates. The rates usually remain valid for only a specific period of time. The time period for which a storehouse is rented is specified in the renter application form. The tenant has to read the agreement for hiring the storehouse and be convinced of all the clauses mentioned in them. He should agree with the timings of access and the rates for hiring the storehouses. He should opt for any special features that he might think useful for enhancing the quality of storing.
posted by Self Storage Owner December 31, 2008 6:32 | permalink | Self Storage Manager Enlist Self Storage Owners To Sell Your Home
Self storage owners help a great deal when it comes to selling a home. They provide public storehouses that can be used to store extra household items. This helps in tidying up the house and gives the prospective buyer an impression of the accommodation being spacious. A house should be impressive first in order to be sold. The house might have a lot of attractive features, but roominess is the most basic feature that attracts the attention of potential buyers. A house that is cluttered up with a lot of items gives the impression of being shabby and small.
The storehouses that are being offered by self storage owners for public and private use are not very expensive. They might appear to be a costly option but they are better than garages for storing items because they are equipped with security features and other amenities. The public storehouses can be hired on a temporary or a permanent basis. One has to decide upon the number of houses he would like to sell and then hire the storehouses accordingly. If one wants to sell a single house he can opt for a medium sized storehouse. There are storehouses that can be hired for a very short period of time, for example for a couple of days. There are storehouses that can be hired for longer periods of time, for example, five or six months.
The self storage owners generally rate these storehouses very reasonably. The rates vary according to the type of storehouse hired. There are different types of storehouses for storing different types of items. For food items, there are sophisticated food storehouses with special facilities for keeping the food fresh. They are well ventilated so that there is circulation of fresh air in the food chambers. Humidity and temperature are regulated. Excessive humidity results in the items perishing fast. Low humidity might dry up the food items and hence alter their quality. Temperature also plays a very vital role in preservation of food items. The self storage owners see to it that all their storehouses that are designed for storing food are climatically regulated. High temperatures result in the fast decay of food items. Food is always preserved best at low temperatures.
A storehouse may be designed to store dry edible items, such as, fruits and vegetables. There are storehouses that are designed to store cooked food items also. However, they are very few in number. Cooked food is generally not kept in storehouses because it can perish very fast. It is kept only for a few hours during emergency.
Other than for storing food, storehouses are used for storing jewelry, household furniture, books and antiques. The self storage owners have storehouses with different amenities. There are storehouses with security features and environmental regulation. There are storehouses without any amenities at all. The ones that have a lot of features are slightly more expensive in comparison to the ones with no special features or amenities. But though expensive, it is always better to opt for those storehouses with essential features, such as, good security systems and environmental regulation.
Good firms abide by written contracts that state the terms and conditions for hiring the storehouses. Tenants are expected to read the contracts and hire storehouses only after being convinced about the terms and conditions of usage.
posted by Self Storage Owner December 30, 2008 7:13 | permalink | Self Storage Owner Who Is A Self Storage Owner
A self storage owner is a person who provides storehouses to people on fixed monthly or periodic charges. Many people are investing in the storehouse business as this seems to be very profitable in the present times. This business seems to be flourishing a lot in the areas where the majority of the residents relocate quite frequently.
These residents store their valuable items in public storehouses before shifting over to another place. Many investors want to construct new storehouses in areas where there is a great demand. It has been observed by storehouse construction strategists that it is always profitable to construct new storehouses in phases rather than all at once.
The self storage owner can always hire out the part that is constructed and then carry on with the construction of the rest of the building as and when required. As a result, he will not be loosing much in terms of investing in the construction of areas that might ultimately remain vacant owing to less demand. While constructing new storehouses in one particular location or several locations, the number of storehouses in demand at one particular point of time can always be assessed and the constructions done accordingly. By constructing a large number of storehouses, regardless of the variations in demand in different locations, will only result in wastage of money and resources.
The self storage owner can first get the ground floor constructed and then proceed with the construction of the upper floors. The storing areas in the ground floor can be given out on hire while construction is being done on the upper floors.
Before starting out with the construction of a storehouse, there are a lot of preliminary and important aspects that need to be looked into and planned out. First of all, the land for constructing the storing area should be selected. Though some might believe that storing areas should be built away from the residential areas, it is to be borne in mind that they should be built in areas that can be easily reached by the tenants. The self storage owner should do some future planning and should purchase the lands that are lying vacant as soon as he can. He should not take vacant assets for granted as they might be bought by other investors.
He should also have an idea of the maximum size of the storehouse that he would construct in future. He should buy appropriate amount of land, even though he might not start constructing on it immediately. He should be clear about whether he would make horizontal or vertical expansion of the storehouse and purchase land accordingly. If new single story storehouses are to be constructed adjoining the main one, it is always recommended that one construct the foundations for all the adjoining buildings at the same time. The self storage owner might have to spend some extra money on this initially, but it will save him a lot of trouble later on. He will have to spend about thirty percent of his total expenditure during this initial phase, but he will be saved of a lot of worries about zoning, ground settling and problems related to the meshing of the foundations. The area to be expanded can be hired out as parking area till further construction is made on it. In this way, every piece of land can be utilized properly.
posted by Self Storage Owner December 29, 2008 6:46 | permalink | Self Storage Owner Reasons To Hire A Storage Facility
Nowadays, storing has become a real life problem faced by each and every household of this country. Day by day household things are increasing in numbers and in size, as people are buying things regularly. Shopping is the most favorite pass time for many people. While buying things they do not bother about how he is going to take proper care of that item. He may not be having enough space to keep the items or he might be pretty busy to deal with the whole storing issue or something else. Even if he has space for keeping the items, he might not be capable of taking total care for the items. At this point of time, an external storage facility might be of great help to you.
There are quite a few reasons behind deciding on the issue of hiring a storage facility . One is of course the space crunch. Your 1 or 2 bedroom home might have been already filled up with different items. The closets, wardrobes and lofts might be full, and you end up with no additional space to store your recently bought items. Even if you are the owner of a big house that is too going to be filled up if you have the habit of buying things regularly. So, ultimately you will have no alternative other than hiring a storing unit to keep your unused things.
Time is another major factor while deciding on this issue. You might have adequate space for storing inside your home. Also, if you reorganize your existing storing space properly, then you might clear up some extra space. But, then you need time to reorganize. It is not a simple 1 or 2 hours process. A total reorganizing of your all storing spaces might take more than a day. Depending on the amount of storing you already have, the reorganizing time might increase. Finally, you will be exhausted after finishing up the whole process, resulting to a little additional space. However, hiring an external storage facility cuts down that amount of work and time related to the total process.
Even if you store all your items in a proper manner within your existing storing space inside your home, can you really guarantee that your items are going to be safe and secured in this way? This is never possible. At your home you will never be able to provide that perfect atmosphere at which your items will remain unaffected by dust, dirt, damp and mildew. By storing all these items at your home, you might save the cost of hiring a storage facility . However, you pay this cost, when you find at the end of the storing period that your car needs a proper servicing to be on the wheel. Your valuable antique items might get damaged by damp or rust, if they are not stored in a climate controlled place.
Another important reason is particularly applicable for the storing of vehicles. If you are out of your place for long days and your vehicle is stored within your locked garage, then you might face a problem while you come back. A professional storage facility will do everything required for maintaining the vehicle in a running condition. Regular starting up and gentle running are very much required to keep your car in a good shape. However, if you just lock up your car at your own facility, no body is going to take regular care of your car, unless you employ someone to do that.
If you are planning to keep your vehicle unattended for a long period of time, then you should take certain steps for proper vehicle storage to maintain the condition of the vehicle intact. Otherwise, after coming back you might find that the vehicle has lost its mobility. If you take certain precautions before putting the vehicle in storing, then you might avoid this type of situation.
Give a thorough wash to your vehicle to remove dust and dirt particles from the exterior surface of the vehicle.
If possible then apply a coat of wax on the exterior surface of the vehicle.
For your vehicle storage , drain out the engine oil completely and use a new filter element. Next you should put fresh engine oil to fill up the container.
Do not keep any coolant within the parts like cylinder block, radiator or heater.
Disconnect the batteries to prevent the automatic discharge and also any chance of occurring fire hazards due to short circuit. It would be better if you could remove the battery from the vehicle and keep inside at a cool, dry place.
Keep the tires inflated to its standard level of pressure. For long time storing, place blocks under the front and rear suspension to avoid ground contact.
For your vehicle storage purpose, empty up the fuel tank, fuel lines and carburetor, so that there is no unused gasoline inside. This unused gasoline might cause damage to your fuel tank, if left for long period of time.
Provide a clean, dry and closed place to store your vehicle. If you are going to keep the vehicle outside, then cover it to protect from natural disasters.
Put plenty of dehumidifier and insect repellent inside the vehicle, so that it remains safe from insects and humidity. Other than insects, humidity can also damage the body parts of the vehicle by growing rust on the body.
It would be better, if you could keep some fresh air ventilation for your vehicle storage . You are supposed to close all windows, but keep a little open space so that air from outside can enter to some extent for maintaining the interior freshness.
Inspect that the location, where you are going to keep your vehicle, is rodent free. Otherwise, you should use rodent repellent to protect the seats, wirings or other accessories.
The windshield wiper arms and blades should be removed and should be kept in a dry place.
It will be better, if you could find out an inside storing place for your vehicle storage . The place should be comparatively cool with a moderate temperature. There should be minimum amount of dust and dirt in the air. Preferably, the place should be away from direct sun rays, as this could damage the exterior painting and furnishing. Do not keep you vehicle in a place, where smoke or any type of chemical fumes might enter. If you do not have any garage or your garage does not support these conditions, then you should go for professional help. At any professional storing center, they will take utmost care to your vehicle, and you will get additional service for gentle running your vehicle periodically. This will keep your vehicle in proper shape and condition. To find out the vehicle storing center near your locality, you can search over the net.
posted by Self Storage Owner December 26, 2008 6:01 | permalink | Self Storage Customer Moving Storage a Perfect Storing Solution
When you are planning to reorganize your rooms or you need to clear up a room for repairing purpose, then moving storage will be the perfect option for you. The mobile storing companies will supply the storing container at the front of your house, which you can use for keeping the items. The size of the container can vary according to your requirement. At most the biggest size will store the items of normal 2 to 3 bedrooms. If you are renovating or reorganizing your rooms then you can do that one by one. This will save you from spending extra dollar for hiring a bigger sized container. After filling up the container, if you do not want to keep the container in front of your house, the storing company will move the container to their warehouse.
In case of moving storage , you are responsible only for packing the container. Everything other than this is the responsibility of the storing company. Once you book your container, the next day they will deliver it to you without charging you anything extra. Now it is your turn. You can pack the container at your convenience. You can keep the container in front of your house as long as you want. You take your time to pack the unit. After packing up if you want to keep it in your doorstep, you can do that. Otherwise, give a call to the storing company. They will again take the pain of moving this huge container to the warehouse, by using total secured technique so that nothing inside gets damaged.
To move the containers normally the moving storage center brings a truck with attached trailer. Some of the companies use a tilted truck or trailer, where the container slides from or pulled up to the trailer by tilting the truck or trailer. However, there is a chance of damage to the inside fragile items. To take care of this situation, some of the centers use a lifting method. Here the whole container is lifted using a forklift to deliver or pick up. This type of moving method ensures the safety of packed articles to a great extent.
The containers for moving storage are quite strong, sturdy and weatherproof. The interior is totally dust and dirt free. Try to minimize the opening of the door, to restrict dust, dirt or humidity to enter inside. This way you can protect the items from getting damaged by rust or mildew. Also, inside the container you can use dehumidifier to maintain the dryness of the interior. When you are not packing, keep the door locked with sturdy lock. However, if you want to have vents or extra doors, these units can be customized according to your requirement. You can also attach additional racks from the storing company to organize your storing more nicely.
A moving storage solution is going to be much cheaper than other way of storing things. Generally, the storing company takes a flat charge for renting the container. Other than this there is no additional charge related to moving of the container. You can keep these containers for any duration of time, either for short term or long term. However, you might receive a long term discount if you are storing these items for longer duration of days. That will be your add on savings, on top of the lowest hiring charge of the container. You might have to pay something extra, if you want to store your container at a climate controlled space.
