Tenant wants auction winner contact info.

[Willar]

We've had this situation several times and here's how we handle it. First, NEVER give the buyer's contact info to the tenant. We take the contact info from the tenant and ask what items they are looking for. We communicate with the buyer and tell them if they find those items they can return them to us in a box and we will contact the tenant. This works fine for private personal items like paperwork and photos as the buyer is usually just going to throw those out. We frequently have a box or two of private items returned so we contact the tenant to come pick it up.

This past week we sold a unit and the tenant let us know they had private paperwork regarding an adoption they needed. The buyer found the paperwork along with some other private papers and photos which were returned to us. We contacted the tenant who came and retrieved the stuff. Pretty simple.

Now, if it's an item of value to the buyer which they could sell for a profit, I tell the buyer to give me a price and if the
tenant wants to pay then I will give the buyer the tenant's contact info. I don't want to be the go-between on a purchase situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[curlymom234]

You can pass the buyer's information along to the auction buyer, but that's all the assistance you can and should offer. We had an attorney speak on this on Valentine's Day.

[Exit82thifter]

No matter what don't give info. Let the auction winner know. If they want to contact, they can.

Best advice call the buyer, I would be happy to give/sell back 99% of what is in most units, but after a few months most likely its been trashed, donated or sold

[Willar]

I will never disclose the buyer but I will pass a message along. Give me a description of the item and I will contact the buyer to see if they know where that item ended up. Buyers don't want to get into the middle of it but they may want to sell the item back to make some money. It must be the buyer's choice whether to disclose their name.

[Storman]

Early in my career I was holding an in person auction. A representative of the tenant showed up to bid on the auction (which I didn't know at the time). As the bidding got higher and higher, a couple of the old pros starting slowing down against each other at about $100. Then this person chimed in at $110, all heads turned to see who this guy was... The old guys looked at him, looked back at the unit to see what they were missing.

The new guy said "my friends wedding dress and important things are in there..."

One of the old guys looked at me and said "$300!", the other old guy said "$350!"

The new guy (sketchy tenant friend) said "c'mon guys, the stuff that's in there is only valuable to me.."

Old guy: "exactly! $400!"

I think it sold for $500, and then they sold back just the stuff the new guy wanted (that they didn't) for $450. They got everything else for $50.

I enjoyed that.

And on the actual topic- I too am a believer that the auction winner takes everything. I don't want them to give me any personal items to be responsible for. If the tenant didn't care about a wedding dress or documents, I sure as heck don't care. AND, if the auction winner says he gave it all to me, then they're at my door. If they come to me and I say "yeah, I have a few boxes of stuff the auction winner returned to me", what do you think the odds are that what they're looking for just happens to not be in those boxes?

How long do I hold it, where do I put it, how do I dispose of it when the time comes? No thanks, you won it, you haul it. I'm on to better tenants.

[KrisinCali]

I've had it happen twice-first time the former tenant was super persistent. He was looking for two specific items he swore were in the unit, (he hadn't been personally in the unit for almost 4 years) but when we contacted the buyer he swore that he never saw either item. At that time I told the former tenant, we did our best but he states he didn't see either item. We're done.
He's all 'I'm going to contact a lawyer...blah blah blah." Never heard from him again.

[MamaDuke]

We actually have the buyers drop personal items with us in the office for free and we will try to contact them. It's of course up to the buyer but we do get drop offs a few times a year and most of the time no one comes to pick the items up.

This has ben my experience in the past. Only 1 time in 15 years have I had someone come back and get their personal items.

[SimplySpace]

We had auction buyers trying to return special family items at times. Some are softies and don't want to throw away baby books, family bibles etc. so they'd bring them to us.

Instead I'd call the customer, tell them if they wanted they could purchase some items back from the bidder. If they wanted to regain the specific items, I'd give the bidder the customer number. All the while telling the customer, if they don't call, too bad. I won't get in the middle of it. Some buyers made a great deal selling the entire contents back to the former customer. It's a strange world for sure.

We actually have the buyers drop personal items with us in the office for free and we will try to contact them. It's of course up to the buyer but we do get drop offs a few times a year and most of the time no one comes to pick the items up.

[Gina6k]

We had auction buyers trying to return special family items at times. Some are softies and don't want to throw away baby books, family bibles etc. so they'd bring them to us.

Instead I'd call the customer, tell them if they wanted they could purchase some items back from the bidder. If they wanted to regain the specific items, I'd give the bidder the customer number. All the while telling the customer, if they don't call, too bad. I won't get in the middle of it. Some buyers made a great deal selling the entire contents back to the former customer. It's a strange world for sure.

[RandyL]

I have offered to contact the auction buyer on their behalf, but never give the auction bidders information out.

[Dave Scott]

NO NO NO Never give out that info !!!

[safeinstorage]

I will never give out any info---to the auction bidder or to the ex-tenant.

But excuse me...did you say the sale was in Fall of 2022 and now it is coming into the Spring of 2023 and the tenant is just NOW asking you about who bought the unit?

Yes, apparently they are looking for something "family item" and haven't been able to find it. So, they reached out to us in thought that maybe it was in the storage unit they lost.

[lady5563]

I will never give out any info---to the auction bidder or to the ex-tenant.

But excuse me...did you say the sale was in Fall of 2022 and now it is coming into the Spring of 2023 and the tenant is just NOW asking you about who bought the unit?

[safeinstorage]

I won't give the auction winner the customer's info, either. In my opinion, sold is sold, and there should be no contact between them. Way too messy!!!

true...

[safeinstorage]

Thanks MamaDuke, that is what I was thinking too. Just didn't know what other facilities did in that situation. And Clarkstoragellc, great option too. See if the auction winner wants to deal with that situation and leave us out of it.