New York Lien Law § 182 gives self-storage facilities a lien on stored property, but only if they follow its procedure to the letter: specific written notices with specific contents, delivered the prescribed way, published advertisement of the sale, and mandatory waiting periods. Facilities cut corners constantly. When they do, the sale is improper, and selling your property without a valid lien can entitle you to the value of what was lost.
Flat fee $499, signed by a licensed New York attorney, mailed within 48 hours.
Before enforcing its lien, the facility must send the occupant a written notice with statutorily required contents: an itemized statement of the claim, a description of the property, the nature of the proposed sale, a demand for payment within a stated period of not less than 30 days from mailing, a conspicuous warning that the goods will be sold unless the claim is paid, and notice of the occupant's right to commence a proceeding within ten days of service to dispute the lien. Delivery must be by personal delivery, registered or certified mail, or verified mail plus email. Defective notice defeats the lien enforcement.
Lien Law § 182
The sale itself must then be conducted in a commercially reasonable manner: public or private: after the statutory payment period has fully run. A facility that sold early, sold in a commercially unreasonable way, or can't document each step did not conduct a lawful lien sale.
Lien Law § 182
Property sold without complying with the statute exposes the facility to liability for the property's value. Where your unit hasn't been sold yet, the letter demands the facility halt the sale and correct its accounting; where it has, the letter demands compensation, itemized.
Yes. Owing rent gives the facility a lien claim; it does not excuse skipping the statutory procedure. The letter can tender the legitimately owed rent while disputing improper fees and defective process, which removes their justification for a sale.
No. If the sale didn't comply with Lien Law § 182, the letter demands compensation for the value of your property. Your inventory of what was in the unit, with any photos or receipts, becomes the damages exhibit.
Upload it. The statute specifies what a lien notice must contain and how and when it must be sent, and defects in contents, delivery method, or timing are usually identifiable from the documents themselves.
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