When The Storage Unit Is Sold
MCL 570.525 — a written notice, at least 14 days to pay, 2 weeks of advertising, and redemption before the sale
In Michigan, the owner of a self-service storage facility has a lien on all personal property stored there, whether or not the tenant owns it, for rent and other lawful charges, including expenses needed to preserve the property or reasonably incurred in selling it. At the start of the rental, the owner gives the tenant a written notice that missed payments can end in a public sale. A rental agreement may provide for a reasonable late charge: a monthly late fee of $20.00 or 20% of the monthly rent, whichever is greater, is considered reasonable, and the owner has the burden of justifying a higher one.
Locked out after 5 days. When the rent is not paid when due, the owner may, without notice, deny the tenant access to the property not less than 5 days after the date the rent was due.
- The notice of intent to enforce the lien is delivered in person, by first class mail or by email to the last known address of the tenant, and of any occupant the tenant named.
- It carries an itemized statement of the claim, with the amount due and the date it became due.
- It demands payment within a specified time not less than 14 days after delivery.
- It states conspicuously that, unless the claim is paid in that time, the property will be advertised and sold or otherwise disposed of at a specified time and place.
- It states that a tenant who is a service member transferred or deployed overseas on active duty for 180 days or more may give the owner notice of it. Once the owner has that notice with supporting evidence, the lien is not enforced until 90 days after the overseas service ends.
After the time in the notice runs out, the sale is advertised once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the area, in print or online, or on a public website named in the rental agreement. The sale may not take place sooner than 15 days after the first publication, and it is conducted in a commercially reasonable manner.
Redeeming before the sale. Before the sale, the tenant may pay the amount needed to satisfy the lien and the reasonable expenses, and the owner returns the property. A tenant who neither redeems the property nor satisfies the lien is considered to have abandoned it.
After the sale. The proceeds go first to the owner's lien up to 4 months' rent, then to prior perfected lienholders, then to the rest of the owner's lien, including unpaid rent, late fees and reasonable enforcement expenses. Whatever is left is mailed to the tenant's last known address by certified mail. Left unclaimed for 2 years after the sale, it goes to the state.
A vehicle or boat in the unit, which the owner may have towed once charges are unpaid for 60 days, and documents holding personal information are handled in parts of the section not set out here. A tenant damaged by an owner's failure to follow the act may sue for the actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, with reasonable attorney fees. Whether a particular sale was lawful is a question for a court and for a licensed Michigan attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- MCL 570.525 — Enforcement of lien
- MCL 570.523 — Lien; attachment; priority; written notice; limit on property value; late payment charge
- MCL 570.524 — Denial of access upon nonpayment of rent; disclosure of nontenant occupant; tenant as service member who is transferred or deployed
- MCL 570.526 — Action for damages
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.