POLICIES FOR DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS
The following outline our policies for dealing with past due accounts at our storage facilities. These policies were written in accordance with the South Carolina laws governing self-storage facilities and will be changed in accordance to any amendment of that law.
1. Rent is due on the 1st day of each month.
2. Rent is late after the 10th of each month at 5:00pm. If your rental payment is not received by the 10th of the month, a red padlock will be placed on the unit until payment is received. Late locks are removed daily at 11:00am and 4:00pm the day payment is received. It will be removed on Monday if payment is put in our drop box after office hours on Saturday. We will not remove a lock at your convenience as it costs the company for gas and a late lock would not have been necessary if rent had been paid on time. It will only be done at 11:00 or 4:00, according to when the late payment was received.
3. If your rent is not paid by the 10th of the month, it is considered delinquent and you will be charged a $10.00 late fee.
If your rent and late fee is not paid by the 15th of the second month, we are required by law to send a letter by certified mail to your last known address concerning the possible auction of the contents of the unit the following month. Refusal of receipt of this letter does not exempt your belongings from auction. You will be charged $10.00 for the second month’s late fee and $8.00 for the certified letter. It is your responsibility to inform us of any change in address or phone number in order to receive letters.
4. Once the certified letter has been issued, payment of all rents, late fees and certified letter fees are to be paid in full in cash, money order or credit card. Partial payments will be accepted, but will not void the lien process. Only full payment will stop the auction process.
5. If your payment is not received by the first day of the third delinquent month, we are required by law to remove your lock from the unit and photograph the contents for advertisement. If you know you are this far behind, you may remove your lock prior to this event. After this time, the unit will be secured with our red padlock only.After the balance is paid in full and we remove our lock. You will be responsible for replacing your personal padlock.
6. An auction advertisement including the unit number, name of tenant and a brief description of the contents will be run at least once in the classified ads section of the Newberry Observer in the two weeks prior to the auction. A fee of $12.00 will be charged for the ad.
By law, in order to legally prevent the auction of the contents of your warehouse, we must receive the full 2 months rent and late fees ($20.00) and the certified letter fee ($8.00) in our office before 8:45am on the day of the auction. In order to obtain access to your belongings, we must receive the full 3 months rent and late fees ($30.00), the certified letter fee ($8.00) and the advertisement fee ($12.00).
Once a unit has been auctioned, the contents become the property of the purchaser. No information concerning the purchaser will be divulged by our office. We will give your information to the purchaser if requested. They are under no obligation to contact you.
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS
-Always check that the door to your warehouse is closed and the lock secured. We, nor the insurance company, are responsible for units left unlocked and/or open if items are stolen. Remember, per your contract, it is your responsibility to lock your unit. Your inability to access your unit after business hours due to your failure to provide your own lock is not an emergency. Also, if you pay after 4:00pm, when we take off late locks, we will remove the lock the following day at 11:00 am, or Monday, if it is paid after 11:00 on Saturday.
-We suggest you use a disc lock (sold in our office for $6.00) or any other lock with a short shackle. These types of locks are very difficult to cut with bolt cutters.
-Place valuables at the rear of the unit or conceal them with other items.
-Check your unit often. The contents of a unit without climate control may become moldy due to summer heat. Review our Tips for Safe Storage for tips on how to avoid damage to your belongings while in storage.
-Report any signs of attempted forced entry, vandalism, or other suspicious behavior to us immediately. All stolen property must be reported to the police. See our home page for physical addresses.
-Do not give out your gate code or keys to non-tenants. Remember, it is a public facility, and we do not know who you have given access to your belongings. No one removing items from a warehouse during business hours will be harassed.
-Keep us informed of any changes in your account information.
-Inform us of your intent to vacate the unit or that you have vacated in order to avoid any confusion or additional charges. If you vacate by the tenth of the month, you will not be required to pay that month. If not, you must pay for the entire month. Be sure to remove your lock when you move out. If your lock is on the unit after the tenth, and/or you fail to inform us of the vacancy, you will be charged for that month whether you have removed your items or not, as we have no way of knowing then if you have vacated. Some small things may be left to be thrown out, but otherwise, it is your responsibility to clean your unit. We will sweep it.
-In case of lost keys, we can cut your lock for a fee of $10.00 during office hours, at 11:00 or 4:00. The tenant must make this request and provide any identifying information requested.