Short answer: A delinquent unit produces no income and can’t be rented to someone who will pay. Auctioning promptly, once the tenant is in lien and the legal process is followed, stops the losses, recovers some of what is owed and puts the unit back on the market.[1]
How Mark handles it #
Mark’s practice is to offer a delinquent tenant one choice before auction: pay at least half of what is owed and move out (the lease is then voided), or the unit goes to auction. Some owners don’t offer that option; it’s a choice, not a requirement.[1][2]
In one turnaround Mark describes, about 12 to 15 units were already scheduled for auction when he closed on the purchase. A few tenants paid the 50%; the rest went to auction. Occupancy dropped by about 3%, but the facility now had units to rent to paying customers, and he could see how the market actually responded to the property.[2]
His view: a facility needs “inventory on the shelves.” Holding on to non-paying tenants drags down economic occupancy and the delinquency ratio.[1][3]
Lien notice periods and auction procedures are set by state law; follow them and your attorney’s advice.[4]
Related answers #
- How can a self-storage facility improve rent collections?
- What is a self-storage delinquency ratio and how do you calculate it?
- What role do capital improvements play in a self-storage turnaround?
Sources #
Each numbered note above links to the post of Mark’s it comes from.
- Self-Storage Revenue Strategies for 2026 Part 2 – Improve Collections With Both 20th & 21st Century Strategies, Mark Helm, February 6, 2026
- Turnaround Playbook: 4 Steps I Use to Revive a Storage Facility, Mark Helm, October 3, 2025
- The Four Metrics Every Self-Storage Operator Should Track Monthly, Mark Helm, September 12, 2025
- Due Diligence Series # 6 – Putting Your Self Storage Facility Into Service, Mark Helm, May 28, 2021
