Troubleshooter: Renters say they've been forced out of storage space
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Paying your monthly rent seems like the right thing to do to keep your space, but not in all cases. Despite paying their rent on time and in full, a few local business owners can no longer keep the spaces they were renting, and they say an unreasonable hike in rent is to blame.
Ulyssia Seawell owns Organeyez'd Grind, a production company, which she set up in a 15X20 unit at Ample Storage in Raleigh more than a year ago.
"We do a lot of production such as video, editing, music recording, we also do graphic designs," Seawell said.
While it may sound unusual, Seawell said the Raleigh Ample Storage is known for having music bands and production companies rent out spaces. They even advertise for workshop, self-storage band practice and other small business on their business cards.
Seawell said Ample Storage welcomed her business a year ago, and one of the past managers even gave her suggestions on how to make the storage space work for her company.
"She told me what type of walls to put up in my unit, she even tried to get me clients to record in there," Seawell said.
For over a year, Seawell said she had no problems until a change in management.
"The notice told me that my rent would go from $185 to $740 and I was just like this is outrageous," she said.
The same thing happened to Benjamin Curtis, who also ran a music business out of his storage unit.
"Got an email saying that rent was going up, I was paying $325, it went up to $3,000," Curtis said.
That is more than a 900-percent rental increase.
"We spoke with the regional manager and he was saying since it was a month-to-month, we didn't have any recourse to fight it," he said. "I think it's extortion but what can you do?"
Jerome Jones also ran a recording studio out of a unit and said he couldn't do anything when he was given a thirty day notice about his rent jumping from $185 to $500.
"It was short notice. It was sloppy, and it was bad business because we weren't doing anything but recording music and they knew that since we came out here," Jones said.
And recording studio owners weren't the only ones to get the notice. A Raleigh man who ran his scooter repair business out of a storage unit got his notice about a 1,000-percent rental increase from $80 to $800.
When they all questioned why their rent was being raised, they said they were told several different stories including they violated their lease and simply that their business was no longer wanted.
Even more frustrating for them, Ample Storage was still advertising on Craigslist for new renters. The ad states, "Workshops and band practice spaces are available, get started on your new adventure."
"I have been around Ample Storage for a really long time. I've known Ample Storage as a great place to record music and I just really hate that they are really messing up a good thing," Seawell said. "It was really like a community back there and it's really sad that it is coming to this point."
We contacted the regional director of Ample Storage and he said when the tenant doesn't follow the lease, they get a 30-day notice as the lease is month-to-month. He added that rent increases are typically nominal, but when they renter is no longer wanted; they raise the rent so high that the renter moves out.
He said that the business owners could stay if they agreed to pay the rent increase. All four business owners said they couldn't afford to stay and had to move out.
"It will definitely hurt my business. We have web shows that we are shooting, people in the middle of their music projects, it will definitely hurt my business," Seawell said.
Seawell filed a complaint with the N.C. Attorney General's Office and in response Ample Storage said they had no problem with her using the unit. Ample Storage said the problems came with the large number of her friends on the property after hours without Seawell being there. The rep for Ample Storage states that all tenants or friends must vacate the property no later than 9 p.m.
They agreed to keep her rent at $185 if she can conduct her business during regular gate hours and not give her gate code or unit key out to others when she is not there.
Seawell still decided to move out and said with the kind of work she does, she would not be able to follow those restrictions.
There aren't many laws that cover storage space rental agreements in North Carolina. If you don't pay up, your unit can be auctioned off as long as the proper notification is given. When it comes to rent increase, you are at their mercy as long as they give you the proper notice.
