Rat damage in storage unit; what to know before renting

MILWAUKEE - You don’t have to look far to find a self-storage facility. There are tens of thousands across the country. If someone’s belongings are damaged, who is responsible for the costs? The business or the customer? Contact 6 looked into what consumers need to know before renting.

When Sinatra Walker went to collect her belongings from Life Storage at Capitol Drive and N. Holton Street in Milwaukee, she found her unit had some destructive visitors.

In a cellphone video, Walker shows a leak coming from her water cooler. Walker said "rats bit into" her machine.

Walker showed Contact 6 the holes on the bottom of her sofa and ottoman, where she said the rats chewed through her furniture. She showed Contact 6 the teeth marks on cords running up the back of her refrigerator. Her refrigerator’s water and ice dispensers no longer work.

"This stuff has to be repurchased," said Walker. "It’s not fair to the customers."

Life Storage is operated by Extra Space Storage. A spokesperson told Contact 6, in part, that "Clean properties are a priority at Extra Space Storage. When this unusual increase in rodent activity was discovered we immediately contacted our pest control vendors and increased our pest control efforts."

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Contact 6 spotted bait boxes outside the Life Storage building.

Walker won’t get a refund for her damaged items for one big reason: she didn’t take the insurance offered upon leasing her self-storage unit.

"I have rented with them previously and never had this problem," explained Walker.

Walker said she did buy an insurance policy for her first unit. She refused insurance the second time because she didn’t plan to keep the unit long. Walker was waiting for an apartment to become available.

"My stuff was there a little over three weeks," said Walker.

Before renting her unit, Walker signed a document rejecting the insurance. It states  "I understand that my property is stored at my sole risk…" The contract goes on to say "I also understand that the owner … is not responsible for any loss to my property."

As Contact 6 found out, that’s the industry standard and legal.

What do you need to know?

Consumers regularly write to Contact 6 about issues with storage units. They have questions about property damage, rising rent and evictions. Contact 6 visited Mequon Storage to ask: what do consumers need to know before renting?

Chris Hitler is the owner of Mequon Storage and MyStorageHome.com. MyStorageHome.com has zero complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

"You should get insurance because you’re not going to be protected by the storage operator," agreed Hitler.

Hitler is a past president of the Wisconsin Self Storage Association. He said before signing a lease, always do an inspection of the facility.

"It is clean? Is it well-maintained?" asked Hitler.

Hitler said it’s also important to look for good lighting and cameras, if safety is a priority.

Most self-storage unit leases are month-to-month with automatic renewals. Perishable items are prohibited in units. There’s also no cap on how much facilities can raise rent once a lease expires.

"I would ask before renting, "what are your rate increase policies?" For us, we do it once a year in the January, February timeframe. Some companies do raise rent up to three times a year," said Hitler.

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Wisconsin statute said when a consumer signs a storage unit agreement, "the operator has a lien on all personal property stored."  It states that if the customer fails to make payment, the operator can auction off the unit’s belongings.

Attorney Tristan Pettit of Pettit Law Group in Milwaukee said an auction might be underway in just 45 days.

"(The facility is) allowed to send out two notices and then, after that, you can essentially post notice of having a sale," said Pettit. "(The facility is) allowed to keep enough of what they make from that auction to pay off the lien."

Pettit said whatever money is left over goes back to the customer.

Walker is still discovering bite marks on her belongings. She thinks Life Storage should be warning its customers.

"I just feel that they need to fix the issue," said Walker.

Extra Space Storage said it does notify impacted customers about increased rodent activity, like when the unit next door is found illegally storing food. Walker said she did keep some plastic spice jars in her unit but they’d been emptied. She said the jars were destroyed by rats, along with her plastic plates.

If you have a storage unit, make sure your address is kept up to date. That way, the business can always contact you.

If you have a consumer complaint and want to see if Contact 6 can help, we want to hear from you.

Full statement: Extra Space Storage on damage to Walker’s property

"Clean properties are a priority at Extra Space Storage. When this unusual increase in rodent activity was discovered we immediately contacted our pest control vendors and increased our pest control efforts.

"We always encourage all customers to have their property insured when they store their valuables at a self-storage facility. The insurance offered as part of the leasing process does cover pest damages.

"However, it is against our lease policy and the insurance policy to store perishable goods. This includes food, seasonings, pet food, etc… as this is all known to attract rodents and create rodent problems."