Town Life Self Storage in Malden, Mass., is donating space to the Malden Pop Warner football program to store equipment.

The football program had previously used storage space at McFadden Manor, but the building recently closed. The donation has lessened the financial stress on the program, the coach says, freeing up funds for other necessities.
 
Source:  Malden Observer,  Town Life Donates Space for Pop Warner Equipment

Related Articles:

A+ Mini Storage and COWs Lead Donation Drive for Haiti Relief

Westy Self Storage Hosts Donation Drive for Haiti Earthquake Survivors

A-1 Self Storage Supports (CA) Community Outreach Program

Self-Storage Talk: Community Outreach Will Pay Dividends

U.K. self-storage firm Lok'nStore this week issued a trading statement in advance of its interim results for the six months ending Jan. 31, 2010, which are scheduled for release on April 26. According to the company, trading during the first half of its financial year was encouraging, with occupancy down only 0.5 percent since July 31, 2009. Occupancy grew by 10.2 percent year over year.
 
Lok’nStore’s average price per square foot increased by 2.8 percent since July 31, as opposed to last year's 0.1 percent increase during the comparable period. The company says the benefits of last year's cost cutting are continuing to feed through.
 
Ancillary revenue has been a key operational objective for the company over the last year, and progress was made during the last six months. Following changes made to Lok’nStore’s insurance-sales procedures, the proportion of new customers taking insurance continued to increase.
 
Lok'nStore says its business remains robust, characterized by strong cash flow and healthy operating margins, supported by substantial property assets. The company is well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities in 2010, according to its statement.

Related Articles:

UK Self-Storage Market Showing Signs of Stabilization

The UK Self-Storage Industry Proves Resilient in a Recession

What’s Really Happening in European Self-Storage? An inside Look

This week Maine Legislative Document 1499, “An Act to Protect Confidential Consumer Records in Self-Service Storage Facilities,” is under final review with the Business Research Economic Development Committee.
 
The Maine Self Storage Association (MeSSA) has worked with the state legislature to craft this new bill pertaining to the handling of third-party personal records in self-storage. The association says the document will adequately protect personal information left in self-storage due to abandonment or default without placing the burden of the problem on the storage operator. Since the bill was crafted in cooperation with the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, MeSSA expects it will pass in both the House and Senate.
 
The bill is sponsored by Senator Peter Bowman.

Related Articles:

Maine Self Storage Operators Battle Issues of Abandoned Records ...

Abandoned Records in Self-Storage: Whose Responsibility Are They?

Maine Self-Storage Owners Continue to Battle Sales Tax

Sunshine Self-Storage has been nominated to receive the WomenCertified Seal of Approval, signifying the company’s commitment to women-friendly customer service. The self-storage company has four facilities in Florida including Cooper City, Miramar, Boca Raton and Pensacola.

Sunshine Self-Storage received several customer-generated nominations, and passed a qualification process to become eligible for the award.

A nomination submitted to the WomenCertfied website states, “Every time I have had to go to Sunshine Self-Storage, from the time I signed the agreement to the number of trips made this past holiday season, everyone there has been very professional and treated me respectfully. When I've called with questions, I always get a courteous response.”

Sunshine Self-Storage’s management, sales and service teams are working on completing the WomenCertified training and certification program to strengthen the company’s commitment to providing better service and a women-friendly experience.

“We are extremely excited to have been nominated to participate in the WomenCertified Program,” says Joe Schwartz, director of self-storage operations. “Sunshine Self-Storage’s participation is part of our continuing commitment to ensuring the best customer service experience possible.”

Once all locations complete the certification program, Sunshine Self-Storage will be listed on the WomenCertified Locator, an online directory where consumers can search for women-friendly businesses.

“We are pleased to recognize Sunshine Self-Storage for its dedication to women-friendly service and business practices,” says Delia Passi, founder of WomenCertified. “In recognizing their efforts, we hope that other companies will follow suit and increase their commitment to higher standards of service—not only for women, but for all customers.”

Related Articles:

Access Self Storage Receives Consumers’ Choice Award in Lancaster

Hawaii Self Storage Honored With Torch Award

Inside Self-Storage Announces Winners of 2009 Humanitarian Service Awards

Self-Storage Talk: Self-Storage Top 10 Moments of 2009

The topic of self-storage auctions was the subject of a recent “This American Life” segment produced by Chicago Public Radio. On Jan. 22, the show featured a report by Jon Mooallem, author for The New York Times Magazine. He visited self-storage auctions in Northern California, learning about the techniques people use to discern “junk” from “treasure” during lien sales, as they are not allowed to rummage through storage units in advance.
 
To listen to the free podcast of the spot, visit www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=399.

Related Articles:

New York Times Article: Self-Storage as a Cultural Litmus Test

SST in a NY Times Mag Article!!! [Self-Storage Talk]

Marcus & Millichap President Speaks on CNBC 'Closing Bell'

Marcus & Millichap President Featured on CNBC's 'Squawk on the ...

Firefighters responded to a second-alarm fire at Mini-U-Storage in Landover Hills, Md., Monday. Sixty firefighters put out the fire in about an hour. Ten self-storage units had serious damage. The units contained furniture, boxes of paper, automotive equipment and other items.

Two firefighters received lacerations to their hands while battling the blaze. One was taken to a hospital; the other to a trauma center that specializes in hand injuries. Both were reportedly in good condition. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
 
 
Source:  FireFighting News,  Landover Hills Mini-U-Storage Fire

Related Articles:

Fire at N.H. Self-Storage Destroys Eight Units, Injures Two Firefighters

Firefighters Battle Blaze at New Hampshire Self-Storage Facility

An Operator's Guide for Dealing With Self-Storage Fire: Prevent, Plan, Protect

Self-Storage Talk: Fire at Salt Lake Self-Storage Facility

One of the many challenges facing self-storage owners and operators is the ever-present risk of a person being injured on the premises. Because there are numerous ways for people to get hurt, management of this risk can seem daunting. It’s commonly understood that anyone who has control over property open to customers or the public should eliminate, or warn against, any unreasonably dangerous condition on those premises. Unfortunately, like beauty, “unreasonably dangerous” is often in the eye of the beholder.

Although it may seem unfair, “unreasonably dangerous” is usually analyzed in hindsight, often after someone has been seriously wounded. Anyone who has been sued for personal-injury damages knows the claim and subsequent lawsuit can last a long time (two to four years from the date of injury is not uncommon). Likewise, defending these claims can be expensive (lawyers aren’t cheap!). Another complicating factor is premises liability is determined by state rather than federal law and is not uniform among all states.

One of the lesser known aspects of premises-liability law concerns potential liability for criminal acts of third parties, i.e., neither you nor the injured person. Can a premises owner or occupier be held financially responsible for injuries suffered as a result of a criminal act by an unknown person? Likewise, if someone gets assaulted or raped on your property, can you be held liable for the victim’s injuries and damages? The short (though not helpful) answer is “maybe.” 

Your Duty

Generally, an individual has no duty to protect another from a criminal attack by a third person. However, premises-liability law recognizes that a special relationship exists between a business and its customers. Notwithstanding this “special relationship,” a business is not an insurer of its customers. Therefore, the general rule is that criminal conduct of a third party is a superseding cause that relieves the premises owner of negligence liability. This general rule of non-liability, however, is fraught with exceptions.

Liability for crimes committed against visitors on a company’s premises is typically determined by the degree of foreseeability of the crime. In other words, if a particular harm is foreseeable, then the business in control of the premises where the harm occurred will likely be liable for the harm caused. Foreseeability can be based on actual knowledge, but it can also be based on what the business should have known. In other words, willful ignorance of a foreseeable danger isn’t a valid defense.

Conversely, if a crime is not foreseeable, then a business has no duty to prevent it and isn’t finally responsible for the victim’s damages. Stated differently, just because a crime occurs on the premises does not make the party in control of the premises liable for the harm caused to the victim. As stated above, the issue will likely be whether the crime was foreseeable.

Courts have looked at many factors in assessing whether a crime committed by a third party on the premises was foreseeable. These factors include: 

• Proximity: Did prior crimes happen on or near the premises?
• Publicity: Was previous criminal activity reported in the local media?
• Recency: How long before the crime at issue did prior crimes occur?
• Frequency: How often had prior crimes occurred?
• Similarity: Were prior crimes similar to the one at issue?

With respect to proximity of prior crimes, the proper inquiry focuses not only on the premises where the crime occurred but the surrounding area. The fact that no similar crimes previously occurred on the specific premises is probative but not determinative of foreseeability.

The lack of publicity of prior crimes is likewise not determinative of foreseeability. Where a business has actual knowledge of prior similar crimes, the lack of reporting on those crimes isn’t a defense. Actual knowledge in this context isn’t limited to personal experience or observation but may include what was learned through conversations with others, including police officers and nearby businesses.

Concerning recency of prior crimes, there’s no magic number for the time period at issue. Likewise, there’s no specific number for the frequency evaluation. Suffice it to say that the more recent and greater the number of prior similar crimes, the more likely it is the crime at issue will be determined to have been “foreseeable.” As one would expect, foreseeability of a crime will usually be determined by an examination of the totality of the circumstances rather than any single factor. 

Weighing Negligence

As in other kinds of personal-injury cases, the liability of a premises owner for a crime committed by an unknown person will typically be weighed against the victim’s own negligence, if any. This concept is referred to as comparative or proportionate responsibility. In other words, percentages totaling 100 percent are typically assigned to the various parties, and in most jurisdictions, the victim’s recovery will be reduced, and possibly barred, as a result of his own negligence.

Returning our attention to the original question: If someone is a victim of a crime on your property, can you be held liable for the victim’s injuries and damages? Unfortunately, it’s a possibility. However, a more illuminating answer is: “Not unless the crime was foreseeable based on the totality of the circumstances.” In other words, one who owns or controls a business has a duty to take necessary precautions against criminal conduct by third persons when that conduct can be reasonably anticipated. 

Editor’s Note: Because of the variability of premises-liability laws among the states, specific questions should be addressed to an attorney who is licensed to practice law in the state where the premises are located.
 
Joshua T. Kutchin and Rocky Little are directors with Fanning, Harper & Martinson P.C. in Dallas. Both are board certified in personal-injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and practice primarily in the areas of personal-injury negligence, product-liability litigation, and premises-liability litigation, with significant experience in self-storage issues. For more information, call 214.369.1300; e-mail [email protected].

Related Articles:

Self-Storage Insurance in a Weak Economy: Your Investment, Carrier and Coverage

Three Types of Self-Storage Liability Coverage

Minimizing Risk in Self-Storage: Employment Practice Liability Insurance

A former cotton mill in Oakland, Calif., now home to a self-storage company, will join the National Register of Historic Places Friday.

The four-story California Cotton Mill building was once part of a large complex for cotton manufacturing. The brick warehouse was built in 1917. The mill closed in 1954.

To be considered for the National Register, which is administered by the National Park Service, a site must have architectural or historic significance.
 
Source:  Mercury News,   Four Bay Area Structures Achieve Historical Status

Related Articles:

Mysterious Winnipeg Storage Facility Opens in Historic District

Plattsburgh, N.Y., Bakery Converted to Self-Storage

Developer Proposes Self-Storage Development for Empty Office Complex in CA

At its meeting of officers and board of directors in January, the Maine Self Storage Association voted to make two changes to its board. After reviewing the association’s bylaws, it was decided that Rhonda Hallett Pope, treasurer, and Scott Young, president, should exchange titles, based on the responsibilities each was handling. Their reversed roles go into effect on April 1.
 
Vice president Sherri Brown resigned from her position in late December. Nominations are currently being accepted for this position.

Related Articles:

Maine Self Storage Operators Battle Issues of Abandoned Records ...

Good News for Self-Storage: Maine Sales Tax May Be Delayed