Yes, you got it. The elephant in the room has reared its ugly head yet once again. Over the last couple of years, we at Cedar Storage have noticed a trend in the storage industry with regard to who is responsible for the goods while in our care.
The majority of tenants grasp the concept that when you store your goods with any third party, it is best to insure them with comprehensive insurance as the landlord or friend cannot take liability for the goods. The subtle difference is that the third party will make every effort to keep/store the goods in good order and should some unforeseen event happen or incident, the owner of the goods can and should be reimbursed for the belongings that are being stored. That’s where insurance kicks in.
We have had several discussions with regard to clients and people in the industry who have had similar experiences as us in that, certain clients believe that the storage company is liable for any and all damage to their goods being stored. The person storing the goods is the only person who can place a value on the stored items. Therefore must decide whether it is worth insuring or not.
Most storage companies specify in the contract that this simple aspect of using a storage facility anywhere in the world is for the tenants cost. Any good storage company will take precautions against pests, vermin and fire. However as we don’t have access to the actual units we cannot inspect inside. Again the responsibility falls to the tenant to keep the storage company informed of any problems inside the unit so remedial action can take place.
We recently had a client who stored goods and in a short period they had a rat infestation in this particular unit. We had never had such a problem before in a storage unit or since. The tenant assumed that the company would reimburse them for the damaged caused by the rats. Even though the contract signed stipulates that it is the tenant’s responsibility. The company has strict pest control regime in place to reduce the risk of such occurrences. However, during times of extreme weather conditions nature looks after its own and we find the most unlikely bedfellows inside storage units.
In conclusion to this subject I would just like to apologies in advance for Mother Nature and her creatures who share our beautiful planet. She will always look after them, even at our expense. Thank heavens for insurance. The only way we can try to counter her fickle moods.
Thank you all for your understanding in this regard.