District of Columbia City Council approved and the United States Congress adopted certain important changes to the DC Storage Liens Act. The Act was amended and the changes are effective June 12, 2024.

The changes include:

1. Permitting an Operator to enforce its lien on a vehicle, watercraft, or trailer stored by having it towed from the self-service storage facility by a licensed tow truck business.
2. To allow the Operator of a storage facility to send the second notice of default to the occupant with a Certificate of mailing.
3. To allow the Operator to advertise the time, place and terms of the lien sale on publicly accessible website that regularly advertises or conducts property sales.
4. To allow a lien sale to be conducted online.

There are nuances to all of these changes and we strongly recommend you consult with your local attorney who represents your facility to make sure you properly understand the nuances of these modifications and that you are properly exercising your rights, including updates potentially to your Rental Agreement and to your lien sale protocols in order to enjoy all the benefits of these changes.