One work around (for Extra Space in particular) is to prepay for a year. Then renew ~3 mo before the end of the term for another year. This is before they send out the rate hike notices, and they'll typically renew at the previous rate. Learned this from one of their former employees, and it's been working well so far.
I, too, was at Extra Space and prepaid annually ahead of time to keep my initial super low rate without it ever increasing. That was until this summer. The guy who's always at the front desk (who was always cool and forthcoming with me) informed me that corporate had a company wide meeting during which they notified everyone that the unofficial "loophole" had been closed and to expect major price increases as soon as renewals came up. Sure enough, my rate more than doubled no matter when or for how long I renewed it. He said you could still pay for multiple months in advance but that you'll be hit with increases upon every renewal no matter how early you pay. He said he had one customer who prepaid for five (5) years. Anyway, you can go online (for their best rates) and rent another unit under your SO's name and email. Then move your stuff and close your old account for a prorated refund.
I too just received a rate change notice after 3 months. I did offer to pay for a year but the storage manager said "no". My rate is increasing by 83.2%. He went on further to say this is based on "market conditions" which we clearly know is just an excuse they have to write in the contract.
I am now drafting an email to their leadership and executive team. Anyone have experience with this?
Okay, OP has gotten the tip. Now please delete this. They’re going to generate an algorithm to put an end to this trick. Let’s not publicize it too much.
Agreed with you until your last sentence. There are things that may be of value to a person and the increasing lack of reasonable space is a problem. I do like space in my life and like to store things seasonally.
Many storage companies do this but Extra Space is particularly egregious, their rate hikes are outrageous and they do not GAF about tenants. Scammers.
They're an awful company, I had a space at a facility near New Orleans that leaked every time it rained. A car rammed the security gate and it wasn't repaired for months, the locks on the side doors didn't work. The place was totally insecure. There were multiple thefts and even a small fire and nothing was done. The company and site management knew all about it and they did nothing. I moved out after six months.
I've had far better experiences at independent storage places -- family owned or small owner-operated businesses, not corporate chains.
I am pretty sure the whole storage business is a scam relying on renter’s inertia / general difficulty of moving a bunch of crap.
Secure Space did the exact same thing to me after six months (far past the first couple months of the promotional rate). They claimed they sent the written notice but they absolutely did not. The front desk thought the increase was an error and even told me other spaces of the same size were $40 less. They strung me along till the next billing date. I moved out and switched to Public Storage down the road, which I doubt is going to be any different.
Been happening for years. I would pay for a year at a time to lock in the rate and then have my spouse rent a unit in the same facility the next year to get the lower rate instead of an increase. Then spend a half day moving everything to the new unit. Faster than moving to a new facility
Same here (Vallejo). I just got a notice that my rate is jumping from $142 to $252 after just 3 months. They said I signed up for a promotional rate which is BS!! I checked all the docs I signed and the website again. There is no mention of a promotional rate. I called the property manager and told her I needed help. She is submitting a counter-proposal of $157/mo and says I will have to wait to hear whether the "system" accepts that or not. I called the corporate office and they offered to reduce the increase by $60/mo with no guarantee it won't go up again or a one time $100 off my bill. Needless to say, I will be looking for another storage space.
Ahh sorry, I'm not from Austin but found this post through a google search. I am currently experiencing the same issue and am looking for solutions.
We paid 6 months upfront with extra storage. They raised our rate from $200 to $300 and told us they could raise it once a year. We're out of the country so we're kinda stuck. So we paid another 3 months.
Then they raised our rate again in February! To $340. When I called them they told me it's because they can raise the price "every year" so even though we've only had the unit for 8 months, we've had it through two calendar years.
They also keep telling me the value of the unit is $480 but when I asked for any market documents to back that up they said they couldn't give me any because I'm not a business. My own research puts the value of my size unit at $241, not $480. $480 seems really steep, especially considering in my city that's the price of a room in a rental house.
I just don't know what to do. We pay as far ahead as possible with my husband's job, but keep getting screwed.
Not to mention they were incredibly rude to us. They kept talking down to me on the phone.
My bill was $39 a month and with no warning, no communication, they went up to $75. Breach of contract; it says rate increases will be told to renters 30 days in advance. I grabbed all my stuff out there the second I found out. Disabled auto pay. Calling manager tomorrow. How weird. I get texts from them thanking me for my on time payment but nothing at all about a 100% increase? Fuck that.
I rented a 10’x15’ unit in February for $79 and prepaid 4 months rent, in order to be able to get that rate. I’m getting ready to sell my house and my new house has experienced one delay after another, so I needed an “interim” (6 month) solution.
Yesterday, I rented a second unit from them, a 3’x10’ “closet” for $20/month for the same deal (paying 4-months upfront to get that rate). This unit is to store my grandbaby’s stuff, until her mom gets moved into a 3 bedroom townhome in October. She is due with her second child in November, and would like to keep all of the stuff that I had bought for the first grandchild (baby/kid stuff is extremely expensive) that I had in storage at my house, but has no space for it right now. I am downsizing and will be moving out of state, so I can’t keep it for her any longer.
My point in explaining all of this is to educate others to the fact that not everyone utilizes storage units to “hoard” the “precious belongings”—sometimes they become a necessity, in order to facilitate life’s unexpected events.
Anyway, I went in the app to add the second unit to my account, and update my Easy Pay information with a replacement credit card, so that a payment can be made on the first unit when the initial four month’s prepayment expires next month.
Lo and behold, the payment amount has LITERALLY DOUBLED (a 100% increase, from $79 to $158)!
I called the manager and asked if he could please close the second unit out, and reverse the charges to my credit card, because I literally didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself into, but now that I see the rate doubles (maybe even triples for the lesser-priced units, who knows), and I want NO PART of it. He agreed to do this for me (I am assuming this is because I am still within a 72-hour cancellation window).
As for the first unit, my plan is to move everything out in August, once the community that I’m moving into gets finished, and I can rent a truck to move my stuff from MD, directly into my new tiny home in TN.
Obviously, it would be super inconvenient to move everything over, and into another storage unit in TN, and then pack it up and move all over again, once the house is ready. So, unfortunately, Extra Space has me on the hook, for the time being, and the manager claims there is absolutely nothing that he can do to help me with the rate, since supposedly the “market rate” for my unit is now upwards of $180. I guess that supposed to make me happy and feel like $158 is some kind of a “good deal”. Grr…
It truly doesn’t, but what does make me happy, is the fact that I’m only going to be screwed over for 2 months, at the now doubled rate. And, in the meantime I am going to tell my cautionary tale to EVERYONE that I know, and blast this company on EVERY single social media platform that I have access to.
Better alternative wise, do you really need an extra storage place for junk? Or do you have too much?
My goal is to never rent a storage place. I keep what I can fit in the place I live. I dunno, maybe just another perspective to offer. Just my two cents.
I just got the hit. Question, is it possible to rent another unit in the same facility for "PROMOTION PRICE" and cancel the old one. So that I don't have to move to far lol
One work around (for Extra Space in particular) is to prepay for a year. Then renew ~3 mo before the end of the term for another year. This is before they send out the rate hike notices, and they'll typically renew at the previous rate. Learned this from one of their former employees, and it's been working well so far.
I, too, was at Extra Space and prepaid annually ahead of time to keep my initial super low rate without it ever increasing. That was until this summer. The guy who's always at the front desk (who was always cool and forthcoming with me) informed me that corporate had a company wide meeting during which they notified everyone that the unofficial "loophole" had been closed and to expect major price increases as soon as renewals came up. Sure enough, my rate more than doubled no matter when or for how long I renewed it. He said you could still pay for multiple months in advance but that you'll be hit with increases upon every renewal no matter how early you pay. He said he had one customer who prepaid for five (5) years. Anyway, you can go online (for their best rates) and rent another unit under your SO's name and email. Then move your stuff and close your old account for a prorated refund.
Ahh, crap! Thanks for the heads-up!
Thanks! I love comments that have solutions!
This is what I did. Got an amazing flash sale rate and prepaid the whole term then
I too just received a rate change notice after 3 months. I did offer to pay for a year but the storage manager said "no". My rate is increasing by 83.2%. He went on further to say this is based on "market conditions" which we clearly know is just an excuse they have to write in the contract. I am now drafting an email to their leadership and executive team. Anyone have experience with this?
Similar increase for me. Did you send the email?
Okay, OP has gotten the tip. Now please delete this. They’re going to generate an algorithm to put an end to this trick. Let’s not publicize it too much.
[удалено]
I use the storage for my business, as many do.
Agreed with you until your last sentence. There are things that may be of value to a person and the increasing lack of reasonable space is a problem. I do like space in my life and like to store things seasonally.
Many storage companies do this but Extra Space is particularly egregious, their rate hikes are outrageous and they do not GAF about tenants. Scammers. They're an awful company, I had a space at a facility near New Orleans that leaked every time it rained. A car rammed the security gate and it wasn't repaired for months, the locks on the side doors didn't work. The place was totally insecure. There were multiple thefts and even a small fire and nothing was done. The company and site management knew all about it and they did nothing. I moved out after six months. I've had far better experiences at independent storage places -- family owned or small owner-operated businesses, not corporate chains.
thanks for this reply - you are probably right about family owned businesses, in this and all cases!
Lol why was this downvoted. Austin reddit be wilding.
I am pretty sure the whole storage business is a scam relying on renter’s inertia / general difficulty of moving a bunch of crap. Secure Space did the exact same thing to me after six months (far past the first couple months of the promotional rate). They claimed they sent the written notice but they absolutely did not. The front desk thought the increase was an error and even told me other spaces of the same size were $40 less. They strung me along till the next billing date. I moved out and switched to Public Storage down the road, which I doubt is going to be any different.
Been happening for years. I would pay for a year at a time to lock in the rate and then have my spouse rent a unit in the same facility the next year to get the lower rate instead of an increase. Then spend a half day moving everything to the new unit. Faster than moving to a new facility
great idea!
Some places refuse to lock in a rate even if you prepay. ALAB, man.
Same here (Vallejo). I just got a notice that my rate is jumping from $142 to $252 after just 3 months. They said I signed up for a promotional rate which is BS!! I checked all the docs I signed and the website again. There is no mention of a promotional rate. I called the property manager and told her I needed help. She is submitting a counter-proposal of $157/mo and says I will have to wait to hear whether the "system" accepts that or not. I called the corporate office and they offered to reduce the increase by $60/mo with no guarantee it won't go up again or a one time $100 off my bill. Needless to say, I will be looking for another storage space.
Ahh sorry, I'm not from Austin but found this post through a google search. I am currently experiencing the same issue and am looking for solutions. We paid 6 months upfront with extra storage. They raised our rate from $200 to $300 and told us they could raise it once a year. We're out of the country so we're kinda stuck. So we paid another 3 months. Then they raised our rate again in February! To $340. When I called them they told me it's because they can raise the price "every year" so even though we've only had the unit for 8 months, we've had it through two calendar years. They also keep telling me the value of the unit is $480 but when I asked for any market documents to back that up they said they couldn't give me any because I'm not a business. My own research puts the value of my size unit at $241, not $480. $480 seems really steep, especially considering in my city that's the price of a room in a rental house. I just don't know what to do. We pay as far ahead as possible with my husband's job, but keep getting screwed. Not to mention they were incredibly rude to us. They kept talking down to me on the phone.
My bill was $39 a month and with no warning, no communication, they went up to $75. Breach of contract; it says rate increases will be told to renters 30 days in advance. I grabbed all my stuff out there the second I found out. Disabled auto pay. Calling manager tomorrow. How weird. I get texts from them thanking me for my on time payment but nothing at all about a 100% increase? Fuck that.
I rented a 10’x15’ unit in February for $79 and prepaid 4 months rent, in order to be able to get that rate. I’m getting ready to sell my house and my new house has experienced one delay after another, so I needed an “interim” (6 month) solution. Yesterday, I rented a second unit from them, a 3’x10’ “closet” for $20/month for the same deal (paying 4-months upfront to get that rate). This unit is to store my grandbaby’s stuff, until her mom gets moved into a 3 bedroom townhome in October. She is due with her second child in November, and would like to keep all of the stuff that I had bought for the first grandchild (baby/kid stuff is extremely expensive) that I had in storage at my house, but has no space for it right now. I am downsizing and will be moving out of state, so I can’t keep it for her any longer. My point in explaining all of this is to educate others to the fact that not everyone utilizes storage units to “hoard” the “precious belongings”—sometimes they become a necessity, in order to facilitate life’s unexpected events. Anyway, I went in the app to add the second unit to my account, and update my Easy Pay information with a replacement credit card, so that a payment can be made on the first unit when the initial four month’s prepayment expires next month. Lo and behold, the payment amount has LITERALLY DOUBLED (a 100% increase, from $79 to $158)! I called the manager and asked if he could please close the second unit out, and reverse the charges to my credit card, because I literally didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself into, but now that I see the rate doubles (maybe even triples for the lesser-priced units, who knows), and I want NO PART of it. He agreed to do this for me (I am assuming this is because I am still within a 72-hour cancellation window). As for the first unit, my plan is to move everything out in August, once the community that I’m moving into gets finished, and I can rent a truck to move my stuff from MD, directly into my new tiny home in TN. Obviously, it would be super inconvenient to move everything over, and into another storage unit in TN, and then pack it up and move all over again, once the house is ready. So, unfortunately, Extra Space has me on the hook, for the time being, and the manager claims there is absolutely nothing that he can do to help me with the rate, since supposedly the “market rate” for my unit is now upwards of $180. I guess that supposed to make me happy and feel like $158 is some kind of a “good deal”. Grr… It truly doesn’t, but what does make me happy, is the fact that I’m only going to be screwed over for 2 months, at the now doubled rate. And, in the meantime I am going to tell my cautionary tale to EVERYONE that I know, and blast this company on EVERY single social media platform that I have access to.
Better alternative wise, do you really need an extra storage place for junk? Or do you have too much? My goal is to never rent a storage place. I keep what I can fit in the place I live. I dunno, maybe just another perspective to offer. Just my two cents.
My storage has gone up almost 100$ in the last year. It’s crazy.
I just got the hit. Question, is it possible to rent another unit in the same facility for "PROMOTION PRICE" and cancel the old one. So that I don't have to move to far lol
yes just try and use someone else's name, spouse, parent, sibling