Ohio Reporter Investigates Mold Issue At Self-Storage Facility

A family from South Euclid, Ohio, a city about 25 miles from the heart of Cleveland, were shocked to find that many of their personal possessions, housed within a SecurCare Self Storage unit, had been damaged by what they believe to be a leak in the roof.

The tenant, Randall Hall, showed a reporter from 19 News "Troubleshooters"  boxes of baby photos, clothing, and other belongings which were all covered in water and mold. He says more than half of their stored items have been destroyed and estimates the financial loss to be in the thousands.

Randall Hall

“You can still see the water marks [in the unit],” said Hall. “The brown water marks on the ceiling that you don’t see anywhere else.”

Hall told the reporter that he called the manager for days before he heard back. When he did, neither he nor his wife were happy with their response.

“Insurance has given us $2,000 which was the max on the policy that we have. The storage has only volunteered to pay for the cleaning out of the unit which we did most of the work,” said Hall.

He says when he looked more closely at the rental contract, he became more upset. “It doesn’t say 'if we fail to do our job to maintain the building, you’re at fault.' Insurance said the same thing. That [SecurCare] was at fault because they failed to maintain the building."

That's when he called News 19. As of this reporting, the "Troubleshooters" had been unable to reach anyone at the facility. They vow to continue working hard to help Hall and his family.

Further Reading:

Legal Expert Scott Zucker On Mold Liability For Self-Storage Owners