[discostu]

A lot of lockers that go to auction are because people died and the relatives didn’t know about it. Which can be sad but is really the deceased’s fault for not leaving clear records.

The rest are of course bad thinking, people didn’t pay the bill, didn’t think through what was in there to get it out before they were in arrears.

[ExTxMarine]

A lot of lockers that go to auction are because people died and the relatives didn’t know about it.

Several years ago, one of my Aunts owned/operated five of these self storage places all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area - she had over 700 total lockers. She loves the "Storage Wars" show. She said most of the locker auctions are because people have had the stuff in storage for over two years and then simply walk away, thinking they had already gotten everything of value out of the unit. Or they simply forgot what all they had stored in there and just let it go.

She said in the twelve years she owned those units she only had two deaths - and both of those were claimed by the families before they went to auction.

This Sunday news show made it seem like these auction people were cheating people out of their history and life - but that is simply BS!

[MrNeutron1962]

My family owns a mid sized chain of these facilities in Connecticut. Quite a few of them go delinquent in divorces where nobody really cares about the stuff, or are simple walk aways, "I just don't need this junk anymore and I'm not handling it again".

Usually, the abandoned lockers are full of borderline garbage, like 1970’s TV sets and puked on baby clothes. I also know that the prices that are quoted for many of the items on storage wars are just pie-in-the sky wishful thinking.

[bgill]

A lot of lockers that go to auction are because people died and the relatives didn’t know about it.

One would think the executor would notice the bill in the mail or read the letter that the unit is in arrears and up for auction. Legally, the owner must be notified of such action and given X amount of time to make payment.