Roach Infestation

[GoBuckeyes]

My daughter and a roommate stored some of their college furniture, dressers, beds, winters clothes etc in a storage unit over the summer. When they went to pick it up for the new school year they found the unit was infested with roaches. I wasn't there but apparently it was really bad. The movers said they wouldn't touch it. Everything was covered in eggs and there were roaches everywhere and they weren't only in their unit, at least 3 or 4 other units were affected as well.

Her friend rented the unit so I have not seen the lease to see how it reads. What typically happens in a situation like this? As of right now the storage facility isn't doing anything. I'm paying movers hazard pay to pick up everything with a flatbed and haul to the dump so not only did I have to pay for storage, pay to replace everything I now am paying to get rid of it.

 

[MEP001]

My first step would be to read the contract and find out about their insurance and loss coverages.

 

[sparkey]

As a storage unit owner, I can tell you storage facilities typically don't cover this type of thing. Every lease I have ever read specifically state they are not responsible for bugs, mice, leaks, floods, etc. A lot of leases will require the tenant to self insure or buy insurance as they do not insure the tenants contents. They have no way to knowing where the roaches came from. They could have been on her furniture when she moved in. I have never had roaches but have had a unit with mice a couple times. They always end up in a unit where the tenant stored food which violates the lease agreement. Many leases will also state tenant inspected the unit upon move in and there were no issues.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I still haven’t seen the lease but it sounds just like what you said Sparkey, they’re not on the hook whatsoever. The girls did have $2000 worth of insurance which is a drop in the bucket for what we’ve spent and what was lost. Better than nothing. Lesson learned.