Governor Newsom recently signed a Bill in California which makes two significant changes to the California Self Storage Statute. The first change is specifically applicable to personal property that remains at a facility after the Rental Agreement has ended. Specifically, you will be required to give written notice to the Occupant after the termination or non renewal of the Rental Agreement to come and claim the property. The Statute provides the form of this new notice and you would be required to release this property to the former occupant if they come to claim within that specific period of time, otherwise, you have rights to dispose of the property that may not, depending on your belief of the value of property give rise to the necessity of advertising and sale.

The second change is to allow for enforcement of changes to the Rental Agreement by giving appropriate notice Thirty (30) days in advance of the change and that the change has become binding whether or not the Occupant acknowledges or signs a amended Rental Agreement. This change becomes effective January 1, 2025.

This is a summary of the changes to the Act. It is important that you work with your local attorney to understand all of the changes, how they will affect your operations, and whether or not you need to update your Rental Agreement to enjoy the benefits or comply with the changes to the Statute. Congratulations to both the National Self Storage Association and the California Self Storage Association for working diligently to bring such an important change to your state.