Rules and Regulations for Saltwater Storage in Salisbury, Maryland

At Saltwater Storage in Salisbury, Maryland, we prioritize compliance with all state and local laws governing self-storage facilities. As a full-service storage provider, it’s important for us to maintain a secure, lawful, and customer-friendly environment. Below is a summary of the key regulations and best practices that affect both us and our renters, ensuring the protection of your property and our business operations.

Lien Rights

In Maryland, self-storage facility owners have lien rights, which means if a tenant defaults on rent, we can place a legal claim on their stored property. After following the required legal process, including providing proper notice, we may sell the property at a public auction to cover unpaid rent. Maryland law regulates this process to ensure fairness. The specific details of how long we must wait and how to notify tenants are outlined in our rental agreements, which fully comply with state laws.

Late Fees and Bad Checks

Late fees are common when rent is not paid on time. In Maryland, there are laws that dictate how much self-storage owners can charge in late fees to ensure fairness. At Saltwater Storage, we provide a reasonable grace period and follow Maryland’s guidelines to apply appropriate late fees. Additionally, service fees will be charged for any bad checks returned due to insufficient funds, as allowed by state law.

Sales Tax

Currently, Maryland does not require us to charge sales tax on self-storage rental income. However, it’s always important to keep an eye on state legislation, as tax laws can change.

Zoning Laws

Our facility complies with local zoning laws that allow self-storage on our property. Being located just outside the city of Salisbury, we benefit from a peaceful location that’s off the beaten path. This helps minimize traffic and offers a more private, secure storage environment for your property. We ensure that our facility meets all local zoning regulations to provide a high standard of service to our customers.

Value Limits

While Maryland allows storage owners to impose value limits on stored property, we recommend tenants declare the estimated value of their stored items. To protect your belongings, we encourage tenants to have their own renter’s insurance in place, as Saltwater Storage cannot be held liable for damage due to weather, theft, or other unforeseen circumstances.

Vehicle Towing

For tenants storing vehicles like boats, RVs, or trailers, Maryland law provides specific guidelines on how we handle abandoned vehicles. If rent is overdue, we will follow the legal procedures for sending notices and, if necessary, towing the vehicle after a designated waiting period. This helps us manage our space efficiently while adhering to state law.

Habitation Laws

As with all storage facilities in Maryland, it is strictly prohibited to live in storage units. For the safety and security of all our tenants and the facility, we reserve the right to evict anyone attempting to use their storage unit for residential purposes.

Common Legal Considerations for Storage Facility Owners

At Saltwater Storage, we strive to operate in full compliance with Maryland’s self-storage laws. However, tenants should be aware of common legal concerns that can arise at self-storage facilities:

  • Unit Size Accuracy: While we accurately represent the size of our units, dimensions are approximate. All storage agreements clearly state that unit sizes are estimates to avoid any misrepresentation.
  • Security and Liability: Although we have robust security measures in place, including 24/7 surveillance and gated access, we require tenants to hold renter’s insurance to cover any potential damage or loss of their stored property.
  • Accessibility: We strive to ensure that our facility and policies are accessible to all tenants, including those with disabilities. If you have any special requirements, please let us know so we can accommodate your needs.
  • Advertisements and Guarantees: We market the features of our facility, such as secure access and maintenance services, but cannot offer guarantees regarding the security of individual items stored at our facility.

Custom Workshop Rentals

In addition to traditional storage, we offer customizable spaces for those looking to set up workshops for woodworking, fabrication, mechanics, and more. These spaces are available under separate agreements and can be customized to meet your project needs, while still complying with all local zoning and safety laws.

Short-Term Storage for Trailers

For those attending Ocean City events like Cruise Week or Bike Week, Saltwater Storage offers short-term storage for boat trailers, car trailers, and motorcycle trailers. If you are renting a place that doesn’t allow onsite trailer storage, our facility provides a convenient, affordable solution just outside of Salisbury.

Conclusion

At Saltwater Storage, we make every effort to stay compliant with Maryland’s self-storage laws to protect both our business and our tenants. By keeping up to date with state regulations and providing clear guidelines in our agreements, we ensure that Saltwater Storage is a secure, reliable choice for your storage needs. If you have any questions about our rules and regulations, or how they apply to your storage situation, don’t hesitate to contact us.