Don’t Lose your Stuff! How to Manage Your Overdue Account
We understand. Sometimes life throws out those curve-balls that just get in the way of everything. Unfortunately, that often includes finances. When you’re trying to tackle other commitments like mortgage payments, credit cards, and bills that just keep piling up, it’s too easy to forget about the items you put in storage. The problem is, not paying for your storage rental on time can lead to wasting a lot of money on extra fees, as much as $65 plus tax on top of the rent that’s already past due! If the problem persists, the contents of your storage unit can be seized, re-sold to pay down the outstanding debt, or even destroyed if they are deemed to have low resale value. Here, we present some tips to help you keep track.
Rent is due on the same date every month
It’s always due on the 1st of each month, just like renting an apartment – simple, right? And, because we don’t want paying on time to turn into a hassle, we offer solutions that make doing this easier. We know that you’re not always available to pay directly at the rental office. Instead, take advantage of our pre-authorized payment plans via credit card or pre-authorized debit, or use the online payment tool available on our website. Heck, if you know you need to rent for a predetermined number of months, you can always pay in advance for those months so you never have to think about it – and there’s even a discount available if you prepay!
How to troubleshoot late fees
Then again, we know that there are times when you’re just not going to be able to get that rent payment in by the first of the month. If your account balance remains unpaid by the end of the business day on the 10th of the month, a late fee is automatically applied to your account, and your access code is suspended, too, which remains in effect until the balance owing is paid in full.
If there is still a balance owing on your account after one month from the due date (including any late fees), then a $50 auction fee will be charged to you. At this point, you also risk having the lock to your unit cut and resealed by management, to which you won’t have the keys or other access.
So, in the end, it’s not just about owing money, it’s about no longer being able to get your stuff, when you need it. For your own convenience, don’t let these fees accumulate – and you don’t want to “ignore” them either. If you anticipate that it will be difficult to make a large lump-sum payment, then you can discuss the possibility of making smaller, more frequent payments in order to catch up. Such arrangements must be made directly with your Property Manager, as you will not be able to make partial payments when paying online. Bear in mind, though, unless you’ve paid off what you owe, ultimately you will be facing the auctioning of your goods, and this occurs when the balance in your account is over a month past due.
Stay in communication
We’re all human; we understand that sometimes there are genuine dire circumstances or emergencies that can delay or interfere with timely rent payments. Whenever this may be the case, stay in touch. It is your responsibility to remain current with your account, and to notify us as soon as there is an issue. When it comes to your account, we will be trying to contact you, by both telephone, mail, and email, to alert you of an outstanding balance (or any other matter that you need to know about). If we can’t reach you in case of emergency, then we will get in touch with the alternate contact that you specified at the time you signed your lease.
To stay on top of things, it’s vital to keep all contact information up to date. If any part of it changes (phone number, mailing address, new email address), let us know right away. This also applies for your alternate contact. Your stuff is important to you, valuable enough for you to store–so don’t be left out of the loop (or leave us out, either)!
*Editor’s Note: This article was originally published September 9, 2013 and has been updated for accuracy.
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