Most self-storage tenants aren't on the grounds or in the office long enough to develop the need for a restroom, but it does happen, especially if tenants are moving in or out or have children in tow. A recent discussion on Self-Storage Talk (www.selfstoragetalk.com), the industrys largest online community, addresses facility restroom policies: use by tenants, staff and strangers, as well as issues of maintenance.

The discussion is growing in the forums Tales from the Trenches section, where member anbar started a thread on Jan. 13 titled Do you let tenants use the restroom? Most respondents, the majority of which are facility operators, agree it's basic human decency to allow someone to use a restroom if you have one availablenot to mention that it's lousy customer service to turn away someone in real need.

But member hbg71 brings up an interesting point: What if a manager is working alone and trying to assist multiple customers at once? One tenant needs his assistance at a unit, and another wants to use the office restroom. What should he do? Almost all facilities have a policy never to leave a tenant alone in the office.

If that weren't enough of a challenge, some operators are working out of small offices with small adjacent restroomsa combined area so small that the sounds and smells of the restroom can drift into the other areas. Some have started posting horror stories about tenants or, in some cases, total strangers using the restroom and making a mess.

It may be a bit of a crass subject, but the dilemma is one that many operators face. What's your bathroom policy? How can you give customers privacy and a place to use the restroom without creating a security issue? Jump in on the thread and post your perspective. If you don't have a username, which you will need to post, you can register one for free at www.selfstoragetalk.com. The process is easy and takes only a few minutes.

Live and growing since 2008, Self-Storage Talk is the largest online forum in the industry and the official forum of Inside Self-Storage. SST has approximately 3,930 members, 23 different topical forums, 3,900 discussion threads and 34,000 posts.