? ? ?

Do you know what to do when vehicles that are stored at your facility run past due?

Facility operators in North Carolina know exactly what to do… they have the vehicle towed away after 60 days of non-payment. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

Now, we in Tennessee have a different kind of problem. See, our lien law doesn’t even address vehicle storage. So, how do you know what to do? Do you sell it and hope for no lawsuit or do you hang onto it and hope that the tenant will eventually pay? Or maybe you decide to clear the title and sale it at a public sale? Sounds like guess work to me.

North Carolina’s state association worked hard last year to bring about several changes to their state lien laws, including this change regarding vehicles. They were also able to change mailing requirements for certified letters, newspaper publication and public posting of sales at the courthouse to name a few.

Have you reviewed our state lien laws recently? If not, you should. And when you review them, take a close look. Are there items in our lien laws that you would like to see changed?

Maybe you’d like to be able to deny access to units after five days of unpaid rent as opposed to 30 days.

Or reduce the default time to 15 days instead of 30 days so that lien enforcement can begin sooner?

Or remove the requirement of sale publication in the newspaper?

I think we’d all agree that it would be nice to see language addressing the motor vehicle issues…

These laws have been in effect, ‘as is’ for years now. It’s time to see them revised. The Tennessee Self Storage Association can help make this a reality. We are prepared, as your association, to take these legislative issues to the state for review. But, there is strength in numbers and we need you!

Join TNSSA today and find out how you can help!

Let us know which lien law issues are most important to you... take the Lien Law Survey now!