Legal Claim To Contents Of A Self-Storage Unit

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Having your own storage wars? This is what you need to know.

A cast member of the A&E reality show Storage Wars, which follows buyers as they blindly bid on the contents of storage units, recently claimed that the show was fake. Whaaaa? Reality TV isn't reality? Hmm. Go figure. But for many people, trying to get their belongings out of hock is actual reality.

If you fall behind on a payment for your unit, does that give the self-storage unit the legal right to sell your stuff?

That's based on the contract you signed, but most of those self-storage unit leases DO say that if you fall behind, the landlord can keep your stuff and sell it to pay your debt.

Generally, storage unit companies make several attempts to contact delinquent tenants, but a lien can legally be placed on a unit as little as 30 days after a missed payment so don't ignore a delinquency notice. Talk to the property manager and then go and get your heirlooms or personally meaningful items out before they, in reality, become someone else's.