Cheers And Jeers: What 100K Self-Storage Reviews Tell Us

Why bother reading Google reviews? Because renters talk. They talk when your gate jams at 10 p.m, but they also give out the operational handbook to inquisitive investors interested in learning what the market is seeking.  

When Cactus underwrites a new acquisition or development, we believe your underwriting model should plug both financials and market sentiment together. The spreadsheets show cash; the reviews show operation focus. 

What We Did 

We pulled more than 100,000 Google reviews across 35,000-plus self-storage sites in the lower 48 states. Then we scraped, parsed, and counted every noun, verb, and emoji. The goal was simple: to learn what drives love, learn what sparks rage, and turn both into a small set of fixes any operator can apply tomorrow. 

Here are some quick facts before we dive in: 

One problem (price hikes) drives more grief than any other issue. Hidden fees or mid-lease increases appear in 28 percent of all one-star and two-star reviews, far outranking pests, security, or staff behavior. A single email notice would neutralize most of that noise. 

Rage is verbose; praise is brief. The average one-star post is 580 characters, while a five-star post is only 229 characters. Long rants dominate Google snippets, so one unhappy tenant can overshadow 10 happy ones. 

Geography changes the complaint mix. Mold and rats show up three times more often in Gulf Coast states, while gate-hour gripes double on the West Coast. A generic ops plan misses these climate-driven pain points. 

Tiny high-rating sites are hidden gems. Our bubble chart revealed several facilities with fewer than 15 reviews yet average ratings above 4.8 stars. These quiet performers offer attractive off-market targets for acquisitive investors. 

The Loudest Praise 

Four ideas keep showing up. The pattern is boring on purpose. People want a tidy room, a kind voice, an open gate, and proof their stuff is safe. Nail those and you bank goodwill fast. 

The Harshest Criticism 

Now we flip the coin. Nothing here needs a six-figure CapEx. Most fixes cost a spreadsheet, a notice email, and a cheap hinge. 

For details about REIT-specific reviews, check out the Brand Snapshot table below.

How Long Reviews Run 

Anger writes novels. Praise writes postcards. 

• 580 characters on average for a one-star review. 
• 229 characters on average for a five-star review. 

Why should you care? Because long, negative posts dominate the first lines Google shows.  

Geography Shapes Mood 

We mapped every state with a tile-grid for easy reading. Darker squares mean happier tenants. The top five (≥ 20 reviews) states were Florida (4.51 stars), North Carolina (4.44 stars), Ohio (4.42 stars), Illinois (4.38 stars), and California (4.37 stars). The bottom of the bunch were Kentucky (3.82 stars) and Utah (2.88 stars). 

Here are some notes worth sharing: 

Florida and North Carolina enjoy lots of new builds. Fresh paint wins. 

West Coast posts twice as many complaints about gate hours. Deep South mentions mold and pests three times more often than elsewhere. Northeast frowns at unexpected fees faster than any region. 

Fast Fixes  

There are four fixes for half of the bad reviews: 

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Tyler Sellars is the CEO of Cactus, an AI provider specializing in commercial real estate solutions.