Virtual and Remote Management Techniques

All across America there are self-storage properties without offices and on-site staff. Back in the old days, prospective tenants could pick their own units, secure them with their own locks, fill out a contract and mail it with a check in the self-addressed stamped envelope provided at the do-it-yourself station outside the facility. Sound crazy? Not at all.

In the past, if you had any leftover land, you could create a 40- to 50-unit storage facility and enjoy a handsome return with very little labor and hassle. Sure, the facility owner may have set himself up for trouble if he took a lackadaisical approach. Someone could move in without a contract; trespassers could dump trash in vacant units; and the possibilities of all kinds of liability were endless.

On the other hand, the reality of risk was low if the site was located in a small community where everyone knows everybody else. In small towns, most people are honest and fair when using a self-service facility. I know that your legal counsel would tell you to be very cautious before proceeding with anything similar to this scenario, but the practice is still widespread.

This same concept has been improved with new technologies over the years, but the basics are still the same. Some owners post cell-phone numbers on a sign at the site. If you want to rent a unit, you call the owner and arrange all the details on the phone. You can either choose the unit yourself or make an appointment for the owner to open a unit for you.

This updated system allows owners to be a little more careful and mitigate fewer risks. It does take time to field the phone calls and meet the appointments. Some mix the cell-phone contact with the mail-in contract and are able to combine personal phone contact with the ease of self-service.

Some operators have set up websites where new customers can visit and check a few boxes to agree to the lease terms, and make the rent payment online using PayPal. This brings the lease-signing and payment-processing into the 21st century, but leaves the rest of the self-service protocol pretty much the same. Using a method like this lessens the chances of taking on a delinquent customer or getting an unauthorized move-in.