Louisiana Storage Auction Laws

 PART XIII.  SELF-SERVICE STORAGE FACILITIES

§4756.  Short title

This Act shall be known as the "Self-Service Storage Facility Act."

Added by Acts 1981, No. 506, §1.

§4757.  Definitions

As used in this Part, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(1)  "Self-service storage facility" means any real property designed and used for the purpose of renting or leasing individual storage space to lessees who are to have access to such for the purpose of storing and removing movable property.  No lessee shall use a self-service storage facility for residential purposes.  A self-service storage facility shall not be considered as a warehouse subject to the provisions of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes; however, if an owner issues any warehouse receipt, bill of lading, or other document of title for the movable property stored, the owner and the lessees shall be subject to the provisions of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes and the provisions of this Part shall not apply.

(2)  "Owner" means the owner, operator, lessor, or sublessor of a self-service storage facility, his agent, or any other person authorized by him to manage the facility or to receive rent from a lessee under a rental agreement.

(3)  "Lessee" means a person, his sublessee, successor, or assign, entitled to the use of storage space at a self-service storage facility under a rental agreement, to the exclusion of others.

(4)  "Rental agreement" means any agreement or lease, written or oral, entered into between the owner and a lessee, that establishes or modifies the terms, conditions, rules, or any other provisions concerning the use of self-service storage facility.

(5)  "Last known address" means that address provided by the lessee in the most recent rental agreement or the address provided by the lessee in a subsequent written notice of a change of address.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 506, §1.

§4758.  Privilege

The owner of a self-service storage facility, his heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns has a privilege upon all movable property stored at a self-service storage facility for the debt due him for rent, and for all reasonable charges and expenses necessary for the preservation of movable property stored at a self-service storage facility, and for expenses reasonably incurred in the enforcement of this privilege, including, but not limited to, the cost of removing and replacing any locks, preparing a brief and general description of the movable property upon which the privilege is claimed, sending notices, and advertising, by sale of movable property or other disposition pursuant to this Part.  The privilege granted herein attaches as of the date the movable property is brought to the self-service storage facility.  This privilege is superior to and shall take priority over any other privileges or security interests, except the privilege shall be inferior to a vendor's privilege, or a chattel mortgage previously issued and recorded in the manner provided by law, or a previously perfected security interest under Chapter 9 of the Louisiana Commercial Laws (R.S. 10:9-101, et seq.).  The exemption from seizure granted by R.S. 13:3881 shall not be applicable to property subject to this privilege.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 506, §1.  Acts 1989, No. 137, §4, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.

§4759.  Options of owner upon lessee's default

In the event of default by the lessee, the owner of a self-service storage facility has the option to enforce judicially all of his rights under the rental agreement, including, if the agreement so provides, his right to accelerate all rentals that will become due in the future for the full term of the lease or to cancel the lease and enforce his privilege for the debt due him, as follows:

(1)  Upon default by the lessee, the owner shall be authorized to remove any lock on the rented self-service storage space in order to compile a brief and general description of the movable property upon which a privilege is claimed and shall be entitled to place his own lock upon such space until his privilege is satisfied.

(2)  The lessee shall be notified of the owner's intention to enforce his privilege.

(3)  The notice shall be delivered in person to the lessee or sent by certified mail to the last known address of the lessee.

(4)  The notice shall include:

(a)  A copy of any written rental agreement between the owner and defaulting lessee, or, if the rental agreement is verbal, a summary of its terms and conditions.

(b)  An itemized statement of the owner's claim, showing the sum due at the time of the notice and the date when the sum became due.

(c)  A brief and general description of the movable property upon which a privilege is claimed.  The description shall be reasonably adequate to permit the person notified to identify it, except that any container, including, but not limited to, a trunk, valise, or box that is locked, fastened, sealed, or tied in a manner which deters immediate access to its contents may be described as such without describing its contents.

(d)  Notification that the lessee has been or shall be denied access to the movable property, if such denial is permitted under the terms of the rental agreement, with the name, street address, and telephone number of the owner or his designated agent whom the lessee may contact to respond to the notice.

(e)  A demand for payment within a specified time not less than ten days after the date of mailing or delivery of the notice.

(f)  A statement that the contents of the lessee's rented space are subject to the owner's privilege and that, unless the claim is paid within the time stated in the notice, the movable property is to be advertised for sale or other disposition and to be sold or otherwise disposed of to satisfy the owner's privilege for rent due and other charges at a specified time and place.

(5)  Actual receipt of the notice made pursuant to this Section shall not be required.  Within ten days after receipt of the notice, or within ten days after its mailing, whichever is earlier, an advertisement of the sale or other disposition of movable property subject to the privilege shall be published on at least one occasion in a newspaper of general circulation where the self-service storage facility is located.  The advertisement shall include:

(a)  A brief and general description of the movable property reasonably adequate to permit its identification as provided for in Paragraph (4)(c) of this Section.

(b)  The address of the self-service storage facility and the number, if any, of the space where the movable property is located and the name of the lessee.

(c)  The time, place, and manner of the sale or other disposition.

(6)  The sale or other disposition of movable property shall take place not sooner than ten days following publication as required herein.

(7)  Any sale or other disposition of the movable property shall conform to the terms of the notification as provided for in this Section.

(  Any sale or other disposition of the movable property shall be held at the self-service storage facility, or at the nearest suitable place to where the movable property is held or stored, as indicated in the notice required herein.  The owner shall sell the movable property to the highest bidder, if any.  If there are no bidders, the owner may purchase the movable property for a price at least sufficient to satisfy his claim for rent due and all other charges, or he may donate the movable property to charity.

(9)  Prior to any sale or other disposition of movable property to enforce the privilege granted by this Section, the lessee may pay the amount necessary to satisfy the privilege, including all reasonable expenses incurred under this Section, and thereby redeem the movable property.  Upon receipt of such payment, the owner shall have no liability to any person with respect to such movable property.

(10)  A purchaser in good faith of movable property sold by an owner to enforce the privilege granted herein takes the property free of any claims or rights of persons against whom the privilege was valid, despite noncompliance by the owner with the requirements of this Section.

(11)  In the event of a sale held pursuant to this Section, the owner may satisfy his privilege from the proceeds of the sale, but shall hold the balance, if any, as a credit in the name of the lessee whose property was sold.  The lessee may claim the balance of the proceeds within two years of the date of sale, without any interest thereon, and if unclaimed within the two year period, the credit shall become the property of the owner, without further recourse by the lessee.  If the sale or other disposition of movable property made pursuant to this Part does not satisfy the owner's claim for rent due and other charges, the owner may proceed by ordinary proceedings to collect the balance owed.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 506, §1.

§4760.  Supplemental nature of act

Nothing in this Part shall be construed as in any manner impairing or affecting the right of parties to create additional privileges by special contract or agreement, nor shall it in any manner affect or impair other privileges created by any other law of this state.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 506, §1.