You put things in storage because you want to keep them in a safe place – until they’re needed. But what happens when that space becomes infested with rodents? In one Wrigleyville woman’s case – the storage facility locked her out. NBC Chicago’s PJ Randhawa reports.
You put things in storage because you want to keep them in a safe place - until they’re needed. But what happens when that space becomes infested with rodents?
In one Wrigleyville woman’s case - the storage facility locks you out.
She said rats destroyed thousands of dollars worth of items in her storage unit. Now, her dreams of being a foster parent have been interrupted.
For as long as she can remember, it’s been Renata’s dream to be a foster parent. Renata’s not her real name, but she asked us not to identify her out of concern for her privacy.
“There are so many beautiful kids who simply need a loving family, and I have the room in my home,” said Renata.
Earlier this year, Renata was finally approved to be a foster parent. And while she made plans to find a bigger home, she decided to move some furniture for her future foster children- into Self Storage 1 in Wrigleyville.
“They had phenomenal reviews online,” Renata stated, regarding why she chose the storage facility.
But before she locked up her storage unit this past summer she noticed something.
“There was some rat feces as well as some shredded cardboard box debris within the space,” said Renata. “And so immediately I went downstairs to the management office and spoke with the manager on duty. And at that point she disclosed that they were well-aware of the rat infestation.”
In a statement, Self Storage 1’s Director of Operations Jennique Mason told NBC 5 Responds, the facility doesn’t have a rat infestation - but rather - a mice issue.
Mason said it was caused by construction behind the facility.
NBC 5 Responds
But Renata said a manager told her flooding in the building caused the rodent issue.
“The challenge in this instance was that they were well aware that the issue had been occurring for at least six months and they never chose to contact me as a paying patron, which was extremely frustrating,” said Renata.
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Renata said management offered three options: leave her items in the unit to be discarded, find a mover and they may cover part of that cost or get a reduced rate on her rent for six months.
“And so those were the only three options that they offered, which to me was just not enough, given the fact that the furniture that I literally was going to use for these foster children can no longer be used,” said Renata.
So, Renata filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General-and three days later, Self Storage 1 terminated her lease. She was told she had until Nov. 8 to remove her belongings.
“And that's when I noticed that Self Storage 1 had elected to put a supplemental lock on my storage unit,” said Renata.
In a statement, Self Storage 1 told NBC 5 Responds, “We made every effort to accommodate [Renata] within the terms of the lease agreement she signed. We offered to credit her several months rent and we offered to completely cover all of her moving costs to relocate her to a new facility. She refused what we offered and instead chose to remain in her current unit and has now decided to pursue litigation against Self Storage 1.
Any business operating in Chicago that rents storage units to the public has the same vulnerability. We do our best to educate our tenants on what is appropriate to store, and we ask them not to store food. That being said we ultimately have very little control over what tenants choose to store inside their storage unit which could potentially attract mice.”
Now Renata doesn’t plan to take any of the rodent infested items out of her unit - even if she could get into it. But she said the entire ordeal is now a huge hitch in her plans to help give foster children a home.
“I now need to identify, when I move into this larger home, how do I furnish it? And so this has been a set back for me to, to be 100% transparent. It has been disappointing, very heartbreaking. Life already throws you enough curveballs, and this is definitely been a major one for me,” said Renata.
Self Storage 1 they’ve always had regular monthly pest control and recently hired a rodent specialist to help solve the problem. Renata is now planning to file in small claims court.
There are a couple important takeaways here:
- When you’re renting from a self storage facility you’re required to sign pretty strict contracts. Make sure you read them.
- In most cases - these contracts state the value of your stored property shouldn’t exceed $5,000.
- You also agree that your property is stored at your own risk, and you agree to release the owner of all liability if any items in your unit are lost or damage.
- Lastly, you may want to consider getting renters insurance on the unit.
