Let`s start with an interesting fact, shall we? There are over 60,000 storage facilities in the United States, which accounts for more than two-thirds of storage units worldwide! The presence of so many facilities in the country leads us to the conclusion that an average American must have a lot of items collected over the years, and not needed anymore. Once those units start making daily life next to impossible, he/she will get in pursuit of a storage unit. And with over 60,000 facilities, the options are limitless. However, somewhere between those 60,000 units, fraud is lurking. In order to avoid fraudulent storage facilities, you have to be extra careful, and not let yourself get easily carried away!
Common storage scams
There are many ways the owners of fraudulent storage facilities can scam you. They have gotten pretty sneaky about their fraudulent ways so that you are not aware you are being scammed up until the moment you are left without some or all of your belongings/money. The only way to know how to protect yourself and avoid fraud is by learning how these facilities operate, and how they scam their clients. Following are five of the most common storage scams Moving of America – NJ Movers thinks you should know about!- Additional charges that appear after you rent a storage unit are the most common storage scam. You sign a contract for a low-ball price, only to discover additional fees for necessities such as utilities and insurance.
- Unclean storage units, which were presented and advertised as clean and secure. If you want to avoid pests settling into your furniture, you must learn how to avoid fraudulent storage facilities that are not sanitary.
- Not so rarely, it happens that the owners of storage facilities are actually accomplices to theft. Since you give them the right to enter your unit by signing a contract, taking any legal action against them is difficult.
- If you get behind with your payments, the owner of the facility is allowed to sell your items. Oftentimes, the owners will make themselves unavailable for payments on purpose and thus, get the right for an overdue rent.
- Small details are often hiding in the fine print of the contract you are signing. If not careful, the owners can easily make you responsible for something you did not agree to, turning your life into a living nightmare.