18 Months of Theft, Missing Footage, Insurance Confusion, and Lien Concerns…read more
I've rented storage at this facility with my partner since 2024. Over that time we've dealt with four big issues that other tenants should know about:
1: Theft and missing camera footage.
2: Confusing insurance information.
3: Maintenance and conditions.
4: Questions about lien notices.
1: Theft and missing camera footage
A large amount of our property went missing from our unit. When we reported it, we asked for an incident report and for security video to be preserved and reviewed. We later made written preservation requests. We were eventually told the relevant footage was no longer available / had been overwritten. That was a huge blow and left us with no way to see what actually happened.
2: Confusing insurance information
At move‑in and later, different managers told us different coverage amounts for the same policy (first a higher number, then a lower number). When we finally saw the paperwork after the loss, the written limit did not match what we'd originally been told. That mismatch, after a major loss, was extremely frustrating.
3: Maintenance and conditions
We had repeated issues with water and temperature in our spaces over time and felt the response did not match what we thought we were paying for. We raised concerns more than once and were not satisfied with how they were handled.
4: Questions about lien notices
When the account became disputed and lien notices started, we received an email from management explaining that:Notices were sent using a "certificate of mailing," and Legal ads ran in the Auburn Journal. From my own reading of California's Self‑Service Storage Facility Act, lien notices refer to certified mail, and publication is supposed to be in a paper "freely accessible to the public." The Auburn Journal's legal notices are behind a paywall. I'm not a lawyer, but those details have raised serious questions for me about whether the process here lines up with the statute.
There is also a public court case in Placer County (Dentoni v. Colfax Mini Storage, LLC) where another customer at this same facility is challenging very similar lien‑notice practices. Seeing the same methods challenged in another case at this location makes me think our experience is not unique.
Because of all this, I personally would not rent here again and would urge anyone considering it to: Get all insurance details in writing and keep copies. Better yet, source your own rental unit insurance. It goes up steadily, and these stprage unit prices keep jumping up steadily too.
Document any problems and responses carefully.Learn the basics of California's storage lien laws, is my advice.
If you've had similar experiences with theft, missing footage, confusing insurance information, or lien notices here and are willing to talk, you can reach me at westonmacrae@gmail.com. It helps if we stick together as consumers, so other people don't get violated once we have experienced it for ourselves. Thanks to all that share experiences, I've been warned in advance several times by people sharing their experiences on this app in other industries, so, thanks to you all.
I hope that helps someone, and if you do rent here, just keep your contract on file, and document everything. Take care.
