Legislation that will improve the Illinois Self-Storage Facility Act for the states self-storage operators is progressing steadily toward law, having passed the Senate on April 13 with a 58 to 0 vote. Senate Bill 1394 will be reviewed by the House of Representatives once the 97th General Assembly returns to session at the end of the month.
Sponsored by House Majority Leader Joseph M. Lyons (D-19 Chicago), SB 1394 is championed by the Illinois Self Storage Association (ISSA) with support from the national Self Storage Association. If passed into law, the bill will affect the following changes:
- Facility operators will be able to notify delinquent self-storage tenants of approaching lien sales of their property via First Class Mail with a certificate of mailing as opposed to the more expensive Certified Mail method.
- Though operators will still have to run a newspaper ad regarding upcoming lien sales, they will not have to publish a general description of the property being sold, which means shorter and less expensive advertising.
- Operators will be able to charge a late fee of $20 or 20 percent of a monthly rental, whichever is greater.
- Operators will be able to include a limitation of value in their self-storage lease agreements.
- Self-storage operators will only have to hold on to excess funds from an auction for one year as opposed to two years.
- Self-storage operators will be able to remove from their facilities motor vehicles that do not have titles.
The ISSA hopes to see SB 1394 passed out of the House without changes and on to the Governor for signing by mid-May. The bills status and details can be viewed at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1394&GAID=11&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=57272&SessionID=84&GA=97.