Self-Storage Horror Stories: What Lurks Behind The Roll-Up Doors?

No matter your age or favorite form of entertainment, you’ve likely seen a movie or TV show where someone is engaging in criminal activities at a self-storage facility. It’s happened in Netflix’s “You,” ABC’s “Scandal,” and even Oscar-winning films like “Silence of the Lambs.” And it’s not just fiction. Now and then, news stories broadcast incidents such as the woman accused of locking her boyfriend in a storage unit for days or drug dealers storing their illicit contraband in storage units. 

While it’s important to be mindful of these events, it’s also just as essential to know that they shouldn’t define the industry. After all, crime could happen anywhere. Yet, these stories hit closer to home when they happen at the type of facilities we all work with or at on a regular basis. If they happen far away from you, you may still want to discuss them with your peers before looking for ways to heighten the security at your own facilities. 

What are some of the scariest stories within our industry? You could go down a rabbit hole by making online searches, but we’ve condensed some of the most interesting ones below, including the criminal variety as well as accidental and the disgusting kind. 

True Self-Storage Crime  

“My biggest horror story? We found a head in trash bag in one of our units,” says Dianne Tanna, co-owner of TNT Storage in Temecula, Calif.

“That was years ago, but it did happen. The police came, and after an investigation, they determined that two brothers had killed their mother and cut her head off.” The murderers decided it would be a good idea to keep the head in a storage unit, and since they kept paying the rent and there was no indication of foul play, the owners didn’t know. “That’s definitely the worst story I have.” 

Then there was that time when the Washington County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi got an anonymous tip that there was a casket inside a storage unit at a local facility. The police went to investigate and were shocked to find not one, but three corpses. The unit belonged to the former director of a nearby funeral home. 

There’s also the story of a Kentwood, Mich., woman who let her homeless friend stay in her unit. She'd locked the unit behind her, and when a fire broke out, officials assumed her friend couldn't get out and died in the blaze. The woman was charged for involuntary manslaughter, however, further investigation revealed that the friend had allegedly died of a meth overdose before the fire—a fact that, while unfortunate, kept the woman from serving prison time. 

And of course, there are countless accounts of break-ins. “If you’ve been in storage, then you know break-ins are unfortunately a normal occurrence,” says Taylor Pierce, vice president of Great Oaks Capital Partners, LLC.  

Kellen Anderson, director of sales at TracRite, concurs. “The most common way that thieves break into a storage unit is by grabbing at the bottom center of the [roll-up] door and doing a dead lift, bending the door up.” He recommends owners ensure their doors are reinforced so that can’t be easily accomplished. 

These stories may cause some people to believe that self-storage facilities are prone to morbid scenarios, but Scott Zucker, attorney and mediator at Weissman, Zucker, Euster + Katz, says it’s unfortunate that the industry gets a bad rap as a place where crime is rampant. “I’ve seen units being used to store and traffic guns and drugs, and you do hear stories about bodies left in units. However, the same kind of activities also occur in rental houses, hotels, and office buildings.” 

Case in point: Local and federal law enforcement have identified many instances of human trafficking and drug operations in hotels and conducted raids to arrest the perpetrators and save the victims. Some of these events have occurred at well-known establishments with the highest caliber of security measures, proving that even when you do everything right, those who want to do harm can still find ways to do it and attempt to hide the evidence. 

Zucker points out that the dark side of humanity is present in every corner of society, and that all rental properties are subject to misuse. It’s for this reason that he stresses the importance of investing in strong lighting systems, high perimeter fencing, multiple points of access control, and high-definition security cameras. “Less crime occurs when it’s more likely than not that the crime is being witnessed and recorded,” he says. 

Cover Your Asset 

Having a crime committed on site comes with a long list of consequences, such as negative press, safety concerns, and potential legal liabilities. This is why it’s crucial for operators to be mindful of measures they can take to protect themselves. For example, if there’s stolen property inside a unit, always let the police do the job of confiscating it. “An operator cannot knowingly resell stolen property at a lien sale,” says Zucker, who cautions against conducting your own investigations.

If you suspect illegal activity, notify law enforcement and let them do their job. “Operators need to be careful of acting as their own police. An operator should not be cutting locks to look into possible crimes on their property. In fact, such activity may impact the chain of evidence needed to properly enforce the law.” He adds that entry into a unit should be limited to lien enforcements, needed repairs, and in emergencies when access is required. 

Zucker also mentions that there is a wide range of language that should be included in strong self-storage rental agreements. There should be an emphasis on five areas: 

1. Non-bailment language - This means that the contract includes a provision that explicitly states that the operator is not taking care, custody, or control of the stored property. As such, the tenant is the person who’s exclusively responsible for what they’re storing.
2. Waiver of liability - This means the tenant agrees to store their personal items at their sole risk and waives the right to hold the owner or operator liable. Be mindful that each state has its own requirements regarding this type of clause.
3. Shift of risk - Explicitly disclaim certain liabilities by requiring the tenant to insure their personal items.
4. Strong, clear limitation of value provision - This caps the financial liability at a specific amount. Is a tenant storing a million dollars’ worth of meth without your knowledge? Let’s hope it doesn’t happen, but you shouldn’t be liable if it does.
5. No warranty language for safety or security - No warranties, expressed or implied, exist regarding the risk of storing property on site.

Granted, none of these suggestions are intended to be taken as legal advice, nor do they form an attorney/client relationship between you, as a reader, and Scott Zucker. However, it can still serve as guidance you should discuss with your own attorney when drafting the language of your contracts. At the end of the day, the terms in these agreements can go a long way in protecting the facilities, your staff and tenants, and your bottom line. That said, an operator could be held liable for negligence if they ignore the maintenance of the property or fail to comply with state laws governing the industry. So, while consulting with a legal advisor, make sure to become well acquainted with all the responsibilities in your state. 

Operators could also face significant financial penalties in cases of gross negligence. “It doesn’t happen often,” says Zucker, “but if they don’t comply with state laws or act intentionally or maliciously, punitive damages could apply.” 

Noncriminal Horror Stories  

In addition to crimes, there are other horrific scenarios that sometimes happen every now and then in storage units. “Unfortunately, most of these issues arise from the improper use by the tenant by storing food in their unit,” says Zucker, who’s been in the industry long enough to have seen it all. “For example, sometimes a tenant will be moving a residence and storing their kitchen goods in the space.” Any residue of food, or stored food itself, even if unopened, can create an infestation of insects or rodents. “I strongly recommend signage at the facilities to remind tenants of what they can and cannot store inside the units.” He also advises adding rules to the rental agreement and providing tenants with recommendations about adequate packing. 

It’s good practice to prepare for worst-case scenarios, such as a fire on property, as well. “All stores should sell insurance to make sure customers are covered,” says Anne Ballard, former president of Universal Storage Group. “This includes tenant insurance and tenant protection plans. If there’s a disaster, you don’t want to be the operator the morning after a fire telling customers that there’s nothing you can do.”  

She proceeds to showcase her preparedness in action. “Years ago, I experienced a fire in one of our facilities, and I was at the parking lot at 4 a.m., handing out to customers the phone numbers to the insurance company because my manager had done a good job and sold insurance to everyone. Had he not done that, they would’ve been at the mercy of charity organizations.”  

In addition, it’s good to know how to improvise when needing to call for help if something happens when there’s no cell reception. Alonna Ross, sales executive at Storable, shares her own scary experience. “I was in New York doing a tenant insurance catastrophic loss claim due to water damage. It was a basement unit, and the tenant hadn’t shown up yet.”

Once the tenant did show up, he thought someone had broken into his unit to rob it, so he shut the door and locked her inside. “I kept listening to see if there were people on the other side of the door, but also continued adjusting the unit, figuring that he’d eventually be back. I would knock on the walls every now and then to see if anyone could hear me.” She remained levelheaded, knowing that screaming wouldn’t have helped and figuring that at some point someone would notice she was missing. The tenant returned an hour later when he realized who she was. 

Then there are instances when the operators find themselves in the thick of the action, like James Eckhart, property manager at Paulding Storage in Hiram, Ga. One of his tenants was clearing his gun before storing it, when he accidentally shot his own leg and one of his fingers. “I called 911, but they couldn’t give me a response time, and the man was beginning to bleed out, so I got him to my car and drove him to the hospital myself.” He concedes that, from a liability perspective, he’s not sure if that was the right thing to do, but he felt morally obligated to help the man. “And I’m happy to report that he survived—and kept his finger.” 

Be Aware And Prepared  

While it’s impossible to prevent horrific stories from occurring on your property, the key lies in covering your bases as much as possible by monitoring surveillance videos, installing real-time alerts and motion sensors, and implementing artificial intelligence tools that use facial recognition to detect unusual behavior, such as an increase of late-night visits. And at a fundamental level, offer attentive customer service and always acknowledge people’s presence, even when they’re not requesting assistance, so that everyone who comes in is aware that you know they’re on site. 

All things considered, it’s good to keep in mind that, for the most part, self-storage facilities tend to be safe, especially when the operators prioritize safety. “Generally, it’s a safe environment for consumers and businesses to store their property offsite, with tremendous convenience and security,” says Zucker. 

The main takeaway is there’s no need to become paranoid about the safety of self-storage facilities. As with everything else in life, always be vigilant—and maybe get a good bottle of wine and gourmet popcorn to share horror stories with your friends, just to keep things interesting. 

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Alejandra Zilak studied journalism, went to law school, and now writes for a living. She also loves dogs.