Winter car storage concerns

[UpstateNY]

I have a heated pole barn, I'm considering renting out unused space in it for motorcycle/car/boat storage. Anyone doing this ?

Concerns ? Is it worth it form a $$$ standpoint ? Anyone done it and had issues ?

What are the terms that you enforce to customers ? I would think that car owners should keep comp insurance at a minimum for theft and fire. I'm thinking about not allowing battery charges and insist they remove and/or disconnect batteries ? Also, I would have a In-once, out-once policy, no working on the car or coming to start it periodically. Maybe that's not so good for the car, but, my garage, my rules.

I suppose someone could claim damage so I'd take pics of the car/bike/boat.

What would you charge for car storage from 11/1/2016-5/1/2017 ?

Thoughts ?

Thanks.

 

[joel]

If it were me, I'd talk with my insurance agent.

I have excess dock space at my summer camp that I could easily rent out for good money. The costs and issues getting adequate insurance convinced me to can the whole idea.

 

[p_mori7]

Make sure you have proper insurance coverage as well.

A friend of mine used to do this with his barn...all cash under the table...until rodents chewed through some wiring and caused a fire...totaling several boats / cars / motocycles and other knick knacks he had in the barn...and he didn't have proper coverage...

He is still hurting from the financial after-effects.

 

[Al Bundy]

Make sure you have proper insurance coverage as well.

A friend of mine used to do this with his barn...all cash under the table...until rodents chewed through some wiring and caused a fire...totaling several boats / cars / motocycles and other knick knacks he had in the barn...and he didn't have proper coverage...

He is still hurting from the financial after-effects.

X 2. I would say since you are charging people you would be responsible for anything that might occur while on your property. Even something like mice taking up residence in someone's car. They can do a lot of damage.

 

[Showkey]

What's it worth or what can you charge ? Totally depends on location and what other storage options are available. Heated storage is very desirable for some and of course comes at a much higher price. Many potential customers would want the ability to trickle charge.

I did storage my RV for many seasons with two chargers ( body and chassis) attached, the storage place had no problems with chargers or fuel. Several places I used had a "boiler plate contract" but have no idea if it was worth the paper it was written on. All required vehicle insurance by the owner. Guys in suburban Chicago would store 20-100 units in a building.

BIG CITY????Cold storage inside was often quoted at about $25-$30 per foot per season.
In central Wisconsin I can find a cold storage unit 12X45 unit 12' door for $100 per month. Come and go at will........Location location location !!!!

 

[skidozer670]

I store my car during the winter, mustang I only pay $30 a month end of October till end of April Buffalo stix area. I park the car he requires battery to be unhooked and car covered. He is not responsible for mice etc, no working on car, I call in advance to pick it up and pay up front. It is unheated mots buildings are cement floor insulated one has no cement same price. I have a nice building but it gets it out of my way to work on building and keeping my other stuff inside.

 

[Westly]

Maybe you could have an agreement for the customer to sign that would eliminate all your responsibility and put the responsibility on the customer (or his insurance). That would be the way to go unless you live in an anti-business area with laws that force you into the opposite situation.

 

[4 FN 27]

I have ran a Car Storage business for over 25 years. You need to have a Storage Contract in place for each vehicle stored. Stated Value, VIN, everything. Also you need proper insurance for storage liability. This is the easy part.

The hard part is dealing with people who want storage...and what they want to store.

I cut and pasted this from another Car Forum, wrote this about a year ago. Will give you a few things to think about.

"In all my years of watching owners do what they feel is right for their car I have never seen a wrong approach. From the guys who seal their cars in air tight bags with moisture absorbing packets by the dozens to the guy who just parks it, pulls the Battery and throws a few bed sheets over it...they all have fired right up in the spring and were enjoyed for an other summer.

The most important thing is to keep the temperature the consistent. Keep the mice out of the building. Cover the car and put a trickle charger on it or disconnect the battery.

Mice are the biggest problem. Our building is sealed and clean and the only time I get Mice is from people bringing their cars in. Before I accept a car I ask the owner if they have a Cat, Dog or Bird and ask them where they keep their food? If they answer in the garage 1 out of 2 will have Mice in them. Thus every car gets a few good old fashion snap mouse traps in them. I don't believe in poison after all they crawl back to their nest and die. At least with a trap I know they are there and I can dispose of them.

One other thing to consider in the snow belt is the condition of the building. Every once and a while I'll get a call to take a car that was in a building where the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow. Grandma's old pole shed might be cheap but is it safe?

Personally I store my cars at 50°. Anything with Fuel Injection (modern car) gets a trickle charger. Older cars I disconnect the battery. Air the tires to normal psi but I do park them on a piece of cardboard. They all get covered and I just leave them sit until it is time to drive them again.

Fuel is the main enemy to storage. Stable and Sea Foam for me with non-oxy fuel. 3/4-7/8 of a tank simply because I have seen cars with full tanks come in from the cold and when they warm up they push a little fuel out. Not a good thing in a tight building."

 

[piker28]

Honestly not worth the hassle. If something happens with their car or your barn just think of the headache.

 

[4 FN 27]

Honestly not worth the hassle. If something happens with their car or your barn just think of the headache.

Been an awesome cash flow opportunity for us. You have to have the right customers that are willing to pay for what it is worth. And service them above and beyond.

 

[WanderingSol07]

If you only have access to the garage and not the owners of the vehicles I believe you will be covered by garage keepers laws in your state. You can say what you want, but you will be responsible for any damage while in your care. Talk to your insurance agent to find out what liability coverage would be for this.
Tim.

 

[theoldwizard1]

There is lots of empty commercial space me. I am always surprised that some of it has not been turned into storage for boats, RVs and cars.

I have a deal with a friend, $50/month for an unheated garage for 6 months for my boat. Better than watching snow pile up on it !

 

[UpstateNY]

Thanks to all for the responses. I'll look into the insurance aspect. Maybe the $250-$300 per winter I would yield would not, in the end, be worth the risks. I just wanted to see if anyone here does it and if it possible to assign all liability to the car owner, except in the event my building fell on their car, my barn started on fire, etc. It's hard to write an air-tight contract.

 

[C_F]

I have ran a Car Storage business for over 25 years. You need to have a Storage Contract in place for each vehicle stored. Stated Value, VIN, everything. Also you need proper insurance for storage liability. This is the easy part.

The hard part is dealing with people who want storage...and what they want to store.

It looks like a nice place in your photos. Two questions....what to do you charge per month for each car?
Do you park the cars? I'm mainly wondering because they are in there pretty tight.

I've been tempted to try this as a business, but for one reason or another I haven't jumped in...yet.

 

[reader2580]

The state fairgrounds here stores vehicles over the winter. They charge $170 for the season for a car (unheated). This is in a large metro area so costs may be less in lower cost of living areas.

They have a very strict policy that everything goes in on the same day in the fall and comes out on the same day in spring. They charge $25 a day if not picked up on move out day. The only thing they say about early removal is the expense will be significant. They keep keys and require everything to have a battery. They are very clear that you have to have your own insurance for fire and such. One thing some people don't like is the workers drive vehicles out on pickup day. Some people don't want anyone else to drive their babies. (I worked there for storage pickup day one year and got yelled at a few times because people didn't know someone else would drive their car.)

I like the idea of everything in and out on the same day, but if you have a small building you should be able to charge more if you don't have the same in/out days for everyone.

I know lots of people do this under the table and just take cash, but you can put yourself at a lot of risk. People will seem to be the nicest folks in the world until your building collapses or burns down and they sue you. You may win the cases, but you'll be on the hook for a lawyer.

 

[a52-830]

People will seem to be the nicest folks in the world until your building collapses or burns down and they sue you. You may win the cases, but you'll be on the hook for a lawyer.

often, it is not the people who sue you, it is their insurance carriers trying to get out from underneath the expense of paying off the claim.

if you think the owners are not fun, wait until you talk to the insurance people who are suing you. they have no sense of humor at all.

 

[4 FN 27]

It looks like a nice place in your photos. Two questions....what to do you charge per month for each car?
Do you park the cars? I'm mainly wondering because they are in there pretty tight.

I've been tempted to try this as a business, but for one reason or another I haven't jumped in...yet.

$145.00 per month. Yes I/we park the cars. We are flexible on the date in and the date out. There are 3 key holders to the building and 2 of us take care of parking.

All 3 of us are collectors and car nuts.

The building is a tilt up Fabcon Building 19 years old this December. Sprinkler System, Alarm System and Video. 100% of it's life has been car storage and I ran my Racing Operation and my own shop from there in a separate room. In recent years we quit taking so many cars and I have never advertised once. For a while we had a waiting list to get in. Some waited 5 years plus. It was all word of mouth.

I have 1 customer who lives in Alaska and has a car in storage with me since 1993. Sends a check once a year and has visited twice. A 1967 Camaro SS Jay Kline Chevrolet 427 Conversion Car with 8000 original miles.

 

[C_F]

$145.00 per month. Yes I/we park the cars. We are flexible on the date in and the date out. There are 3 key holders to the building and 2 of us take care of parking.

All 3 of us are collectors and car nuts.

The building is a tilt up Fabcon Building 19 years old this December. Sprinkler System, Alarm System and Video. 100% of it's life has been car storage and I ran my Racing Operation and my own shop from there in a separate room. In recent years we quit taking so many cars and I have never advertised once. For a while we had a waiting list to get in. Some waited 5 years plus. It was all word of mouth.

I have 1 customer who lives in Alaska and has a car in storage with me since 1993. Sends a check once a year and has visited twice. A 1967 Camaro SS Jay Kline Chevrolet 427 Conversion Car with 8000 original miles.

That's a reasonable price, for sure. I am currently renting a 1-car unheated storage unit for $115, so for a heated place with a 50 degree minimum, that's very reasonable.
It's crazy that it's all word of mouth too, with no advertising!

I bet the gas in the '67 Camaro isn't good any longer.

 

[rburke65]

No one said it had gas in the Camaro.

 

[Showkey]

There is lots of empty commercial space me. I am always surprised that some of it has not been turned into storage for boats, RVs and cars.
!

My guess is the numbers ( dollars per sqft) do not work.............especially for seasonal storage.

Even empty building might be cheaper than being there for renting, taxes, insurance, security, add utilities ( lights, heat) add the hassle might make it a crappy biz in many locations.

 

[C_F]

No one said it had gas in the Camaro.

This is true, I was merely being humorous.

 

[4 FN 27]

This is true, I was merely being humorous.

It is funny...the Car came to me "Pickled"...ready for long term storage. Then somewhere around 2008 he called and asked me to get it running so somebody could come look at it to buy it.

We got it running. Basically added fuel and a battery and it fired right up. Drove it around the lot and parked it. Guy came in from Atl. GA and loved it. They just couldn't come to an agreement on price. It was a lower mid 6 digit number...

We did run it out of gas as best as we could but short of dropping the tank we got what we could out of it. The motor was "fogged" again...until the next time.