Couple Who Went Viral For Living In Self-Storage Unit Kicked Out

A couple that had been living in a Hatfield, Pennsylvania self-storage facility have been sent packing. Leland Brown Jr. and his girlfriend had been staying in a unit and documenting their unconventional living arrangements on TikTok. Unfortunately for the couple, the clips went a little too viral, alerting management of the situation. They then told the couple they had to leave and had 30 days to remove their belongings.

In the TikTok video, Brown Jr. had shown off their living quarters set up inside of the unit, complete with a couch, dresser, and other furnishings. In subsequent videos, he explained that the couple was comfortable as the facility was climate controlled, and that they had 24-hour access to bathrooms. He said they could cook outside and that there was plenty of space to exercise.

Although Brown Jr. is unhoused, he does hold a job at a hotel; he figured that he and his girlfriend could live in the unit until he saved enough money for legitimate housing. “Me and my baby will live here as long as we need to until we can get the shelter that we want,” he says in a video. “Because we’re living here, now we can save up more money to get what we really want. We’re in it for the long haul.”

Upon being kicked out, Brown Jr. posted another video last Friday, stating, “ Higher ups found out about my video. It went so viral, we ended up getting kicked out. Now we’re just trying to figure out where to go and what we’re going to do with all of our stuff.” 

Brown Jr. says they considered moving to a different storage facility, however a fan of their TikTok videos intervened and has temporarily put them up in a hotel. Now, the couple says they plan to make “a lot of money moves” which will include “making some content.”

Individuals and families living in self-storage units are not all that uncommon, and it doesn’t always end well. In 2019, a North Dakota man lost his life when the storage unit he called home caught fire. And in 2017, a man was charged with child endangerment for residing in a unit with his two children. Be sure to subscribe to Messenger magazine for a feature story on self-storage live-ins in our upcoming edition. 

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