staging units.

Are storage facilities alowed to stage units?  Put their stuff in it and sell it?

I dont know if they are allowed to or not but I know that Ive wound up with a few of those units

Are storage facilities alowed to stage units?

I don't see why they legally couldn't, as long as they don't take anything out of the unit. Put their stuff in it and sell it? They can take the things that are left behind by renters and place them in a unit. They can then put that unit up for auction. Most of the time they tell you it's a managers unit.

In my experience, many of the staged units are managers or house units (they mean the same thing). I don't shy away from these units like many others, I just bid on what I can see. I assume that all the mystery is right in front of me. About 3 weeks ago I bought a house unit which was staged for $30. Ended up making about $200. I only had to throw out one item and the others sold pretty quick (within 2 weeks).

Are storage facilities alowed to stage units?  Put their stuff in it and sell it?

It really depends on the laws of your State. If the auction is being advertised as a lien sale of property, and you find out and can PROVE that the property in the unit you won was NOT liened property, then you might be able to get the State to investigate the facility. The hard part is proving the unit was staged. I would think the best way would be to get one of the employees to testify for you or contact the "owner" and have him testify that the contents in the unit are not what he/she stored. Probably more trouble then it's worth. Part of being a player in the game is figuring out which facilities are not on the up and up, and just avoiding them or bid accordingly.

In my State, it is completely legal (but not ethical, in my opinion) to stage units. They are not advertised as lien sales, just public auctions, so you could be bidding on anything.

Good Luck Player! 

I haven't a problem with the facilities staging the units. You can't blame them for wanting to get their money back BUT, my distrusting mind makes me wonder if they just happen to see something they like would they take it. There's good and bad with the staging and like almost all humans temptation is there, "I see shiny things" ;-)

You will quickly learn who will combine units, stage units, or a combo of things.  The stage units imo is when they enter the unit (a no-no) and pull things they find out and up front.  Jewelry box in front and lid open, safe just under the table in front, etc. are all staged to me.  The combine unit is where they just take leftover items from other units and keep stacking it in till the next sale.  Most places are suppose to tell you, but in my area they don't.

I know at metro they combine units and don't tell you.  If not - my unit must of been shared by 3 people (white grandmother type, black family, and a chinese student).  It was one of the strangest units I had ever purchased.

I don't know if it's allowed..

In my opinion, it shouldn’t be of any problem as the entire storage facility is rightfully theirs anyway. Hence, it is considered their territory and rights to perform any selling provided that those items on sale are not illegal. It is a similar process to that of a storage unit auction, only that the items on sale are theirs.

In my opinion, it shouldn’t be of any problem as the entire storage facility is rightfully theirs anyway. Hence, it is considered their territory and rights to perform any selling provided that those items on sale are not illegal. It is a similar process to that of a storage unit auction, only that the items on sale are theirs.

In some cases, but in the U.S, most of the time the unit remains the property of the tenant up until the auctioneer says sold, otherwise the tenant couldn't pay his debt minutes before the auction and redeem his property.

I don't necessary like the idea of the storage operator staging the unit with all of the good stuff in the front, but most lien laws require them to take some form of inventory for their legal notice, so legally they have the right to look through the unit.