Conklin Bill Protecting Self-Storage Businesses Passes State Senate

Pennsylvania’s self-storage business owners are poised to gain greater protections against defaulting customers after state Rep. Scott Conklin’s bill to bring these small businesses stronger enforcement powers today heads for the governor’s desk.

Conklin, who is majority chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said he introduced H.B. 1359 to help small self-storage business owners avoid significant business losses that can result when a customer fails to sign or pay their rental agreement.

“Pennsylvania has more than 1,500 self-storage facilities, and most are small businesses,” said Conklin, D-Centre. “Yet our law fails to adequately protect these businesses when a customer fails to sign or pay their rental agreement. Without a timeframe in which the unsigned or unpaid agreement can be enforced, the storage unit sits occupied and unrentable, costing the business valuable income.

“It’s not fair to punish these small businesses for a customer’s failure to uphold their end of the bargain. My bill would fix the issue by allowing for the electronic delivery of a rental agreement. This would make the agreement enforceable within 30 days of the document’s delivery – the same as if it had been signed. If the occupant failed to sign the agreement within 30 days, their rent payment or continued use of the unit would be deemed an acceptance of the agreement, which could then be enforced by the business owner. For terminations or nonrenewals of a rental agreement, the occupant would have 14 days after delivery of the notice to remove all personal property.

“It’s a relatively small change to the law that would give these business owners a critical tool to maintain control over their most essential asset.”

The bill passed the Pennsylvania House by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in June and passed the state Senate on Tuesday by a wide margin. After a final House concurrence vote today, the bill now heads to the governor’s desk.