Pennsylvania established a provision for self-storage limited-lines insurance on Oct. 24 when Gov. Tom Wolf signed House Bill 504 (HB 504) into law. Under the measure, self-storage owners as well as their employees and other company representatives can get a limited license authorizing them to sell tenant insurance. The law goes into effect on Dec. 24.

A self-storage owner only needs one license to sell insurance in the state, though he must include a list of all facilities he operates on the application. He must also notify the insurance commissioner within 30 days of any new Pennsylvania locations or facility closures.

In addition, the law requires that storage owners maintain a registry of employees who have been certified to sell insurance and are eligible to act as agents. The list must be submitted to the commissioner upon request. Certification is achieved by completing a commissioner-approved training program.

The law is similar to other self-storage tenant-insurance bills adopted across the nation, though the measure’s language explicitly deleted “stored” from the text and allow operators to sell insurance that would apply to the “loss or damage to personal property that occurs at that facility or while the personal property is in transit during the rental agreement.”

The bill was supported by the Pennsylvania Self Storage Association (PASSA) and national Self Storage Association (SSA). SSA officials credited PASSA president and SSA board member Alyssa Quill and former PASSA board member Mike Rhoads as being “instrumental in securing passage of the bill,” in an Oct. 29 newsletter to association members.

HB 504 was introduced in February 2017. It passed the house unanimously in April before moving to the senate, where it passed 49-0 on Oct. 17.

Sources:
Pennsylvania General Assembly, House Bill 504
The Monday Morning Globe 10/29/18, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf Signs Tenant Insurance Bill