How to “Write Your Next Chapter” was the presiding theme at this year’s Inside Self-Storage World Expo that just wrapped up in Las Vegas. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the expo attracted hundreds of self-storage owners, operators, investors, builders and vendors from across the country. Attendees looked to the future with the realization that competition is growing more rigorous each year and it is important to be up on the latest technologies. [More]

Politicians love to promise one thing to their constituents more than anything else—change. They do not always specify whether that change will be good or bad, but they do promise that it will happen. One change that has been proposed by lawmakers in Georgia will mean a little more work for self storage facility operators, but could also mean an increase in profits. [More]

Self storage auctions are getting swamped with attendees in recent months as popularity has grown, causing many states to look at streamlining their lien laws. Earlier this week, both Nevada and Florida legislators reviewed proposed changes to their states’ self storage lien laws. Now Tennessee has joined the ranks by introducing legislation that would lift the newspaper advertising requirement for self storage lien sales. [More]

Both Nevada and Florida are considering changes to their states’ self storage lien laws. The Self Storage Association and the Florida Self Storage Association (FSSA) are gearing up to discuss improvements in lien laws with the House Civil Justice Subcommittee and at a hearing in Tallahassee, Fla., tomorrow. Nevada state lawmakers are reviewing Senate Bill 150, which would amend the state statutes governing self storage and make several changes to existing self storage lien laws. [More]

It is up to the self storage operator to decide whether to offer minimal tenant insurance for a fee or require the tenant to obtain outside insurance. Owners and operators should carry insurance for themselves as well. It is a matter of purchasing piece of mind in the event of fire, flood, rodent/insect infestation or theft. The latest business to offer a full-range of coverage is Storage Business Owners Alliance LLC (SBOA). [More]

The role of the self storage manager is shifting in today’s fast-paced world where rental rates, promotions, lien sales, social media marketing and of course tenant relations are all major factors in the success of a business. Managers need to be on their toes with day-to-day operations and up-to-date on the latest marketing techniques. [More]

The rules regarding who can run in the election for mayor of a town are much the same in most of the world’s democracies. Elections laws customarily require that candidates live in the town, be of a certain age, be a citizen of the country in which the town is located, etc. The rules are not much different in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada. But a man who lives in nearby Niagara Falls has found a way to bend them. He has rented a St. Catharine’s self storage unit and has listed it as his residence in St. Catharine’s, allowing him to enter the St. Catharine’s mayoral race. [More]