What You Need to Know About SB 709

Because we’re a locally-owned self-storage facility with one location, we may not be everybody’s first stop. But we’re proud to be a lot of people’s last stop.

A lot of customers come to us after a bad experience somewhere else. Usually it starts with a low advertised rate. It seems like they’re giving away units for free! Then the price jumps every month. Customers are understandably incensed at this, because holding someone’s personal items for a rising price can feel coercive.

That is why California stepped in with SB 709. The law requires clearer pricing disclosures up front. We support that. At All County Self Storage, we already go further in a few important ways: we guarantee the rental rate for 12 months, and after that any increase is capped at 5% with written notice before it takes effect.

Our competitors can’t say the same. In many cases, the self-storage company owner is not always the same company making the pricing decisions. And up here in the Mother Lode, new investment is risky. Buying land, developing property, and getting a project built in this area is expensive enough that new competition does not just appear overnight. So our competitors are free to use algorithms to keep prices higher than they need to be, and squeeze people for every penny without ever stepping foot in Jamestown, Sonora, or Tuolumne County.

That is one reason local ownership still matters. At our facility, there is no mystery about who you are dealing with. We do not hide behind a remote operations team. We do not require minimum-length rental agreements. We believe people deserve clear terms, fair notice, and someone they can physically talk to when they have a question.

So yes, SB 709 adds another compliance step. But we are glad the state finally told bigger operators to do what should have been standard all along: be up front with customers before they sign, not after they have already moved in.

The law could still go farther. Customers should be able to see not just the advertised rate, but a documented pricing path. They should be able to see who owns the facility, who manages it, and who is setting rates. They should get simple and prompt notification before any increase takes effect. That would help create a more even playing field for honest local businesses and a fairer deal for customers.