SSA And SSAM Solve Issue Over Self-Storage Towing

According to an email from the Self Storage Association (SSA), earlier this summer representatives from the SSA and SSAM met with the chief legal officer for the Michigan Secretary of State (MSOS) to address issues related to vehicle towing, as local law enforcement agencies had been given inaccurate information that resulted in certain members being unable to have vehicles towed from their facilities following a 60-day default.

Thanks to that meeting, the issue has been resolved, thus members should be able to resume towing.

The Michigan Self-Service Storage Facility Act, which was amended several years ago, provides owners with the option to have vehicles and other titled property towed in lieu of selling it if the occupant fails to pay for more than 60 days. Per the SSA, this law has not changed and should operate as follows:

1. Tenant stores a vehicle.
2. Tenant is 60 days past due.
3. Vehicle is now remaining on private property without the consent of the property owner.
4. Owner calls tow company to remove the vehicle.
5. Tow company calls law enforcement to report removing the vehicle and give VIN.
6. Within 24 hours, law enforcement puts the vehicle into the law enforcement information network to a) determine whether it was stolen; and 2) list it as abandoned, which notifies the Secretary of State.
7. Secretary of State issues the TR-52 to the vehicle owner.
8. If the vehicle is not redeemed or the owner does not file a petition contesting the abandonment or the fees, the vehicle can be set for auction not less than 20 days after the issuance of the TR-52.

Certain local law enforcement agencies were given inaccurate information and were temporarily refusing to issue the TR-52s, meaning towing companies were unwilling to accept the tow requests from storage facilities.

As a result of the meeting with the SSA/SSAM and the MSOS, the MSOS was able to meet with local law enforcement agencies and clarify the process. This means all outstanding issues should be resolved and the process should operate as intended.

If you continue to have any issue with towing, please email Daniel Bryant of the SSA .