Ontario man who had $11,000 worth of goods stolen from storage unit now in dispute over who should pay

TORONTO -

Durham Police issued a warning last month after a Whitby storage facility had been broken into 76 times so far this year.

The break-ins took place at the Valiant Mini Storage located on Victoria Street East near Highway 26, and in the latest case a suspect was caught while breaking into a unit and was arrested.

When some home owners sell their homes they rent storage units to store their belongings until the deal closes and these units can often be targeted by thieves.

But if someone does steal items from your rented unit who is responsible to cover the costs? You or the storage company?

It depends on the type of insurance you have.

An East York man was selling his home and put his items in a storage unit and weeks later it was broken into.

Brian Scholz feels he lost about $11,000 worth of items and he’s now in a dispute with the storage company over who should pay for it.

“I'm just looking for something that's fair,” said Scholz. “They were able to unscrew hex bolts screws and push back the mesh and come in and take valuables and other things out of my unit."

Scholz rented a unit at a StorageMart facility in North York and when he contacted the company he was told because he had not taken out insurance with StorageMart the losses would have to be covered by his home insurance policy.

Scholz said his policy has a $5,000 deductible and he's concerned if he makes a claim his premiums will go up.

“My feeling is StorageMart did not provide me with a reasonably secure unit and in subsequent discussions with them they disavowed any responsibility pointing to the fact that I didn't purchase insurance with them," said Scholz.

When CTV News Toronto reached out to the company a spokesperson said, “We are grieved anytime thieves steal from our tenants. In many ways, it is as much a violation as someone coming into your own home and taking valuable, sentimental items. At StorageMart, we have video surveillance, a gated property so that only tenants may enter, and individual locks on every unit so that only our tenants have the key to open their unit. These measures are among the best in the self storage industry. Unfortunately, when a person sets out to do something bad, they find a way.”

The company added, “The break-ins at this property were caught on video surveillance and we have provided this footage to the police who are actively investigating this event. We are fully cooperating with authorities. We encourage anyone with information regarding the parties involved, or awareness of any stolen goods, to contact the authorities.”

StorageMart also said “Tenants at StorageMart have the option of using their own insurance policies or choosing a coverage option at StorageMart. Many of our tenants even prefer our coverage plan to supplement their own insurance because we have a zero-dollar deductible and hassle-free claims process. We always hope that the peace of mind that value coverage provides stays just that - peace of mind - and that no one experiences loss.”

Scholz felt he learned a difficult lesson and said “bottom line: don't assume your items are safe when you put them in a third party storage unit."

Insurance policies will differ by storage facility and premiums can range from $10 to $30 a month depending on the coverage and contents.

Storage units also differ dramatically as some are climate and pest controlled and come with round the clock surveillance.

Also, keep in mind if you use your home insurance policy and sell your home you may no longer have insurance coverage.