Storage Unit Auctions in Marlin, TX — What They Are and Why We Run Them
Because sometimes life gets in the way, and an unpaid unit deserves a fresh start too.
If you've heard about an auction going on at one of our facilities, you might be wondering what that's about. It's a fair question, and we'd rather answer it plainly than let you wonder.
Why Units Go to Auction
Every self storage facility in the country handles unpaid units the same basic way, and we're no different. When a unit falls significantly behind on payment and we've exhausted every reasonable effort to reach the tenant and work something out, Texas law allows us to sell the contents at auction to recover what's owed. It's always the last step, never the first one. We'd genuinely rather keep working with a tenant through a rough patch than get anywhere near an auction — that's how we run every location in Marlin.
And it will never be a surprise. Our customers get text reminders a week before their rent is due, the day the rent is due, and at least three more reminders that month depending on how late they are. Additionally, while Texas law prohibits us from even thinking about selling a unit's contents until the rent is over a month, we go the extra mile and give everyone at least two months. By then, we've reached out to you at least six times. And then we send you two different letters in the mail (even though we legally only have to send one) and place two ads in the local paper (shout out to the Marlin Democrat) before we can even start the auction.
It's not an easy process and almost never profitable for us (but it's usually a great thing for the person that wins the auction). That's why we do everything we can to work with our customers before having to take this last step.
What's Been Up for Bid
Our most recent round ran in mid-August — a handful of units across a few of our locations, with most of them selling to local bidders. We run these auctions very rarely, as most of our awesome customers have their units on auto-pay and when someone does fall behind, we actively call every customer to see what's going on and figure out what we can do to help out.
It's important to us to work with every customer regardless of what's going on. We all have to look out for each other and help each other out when we can. So if there's a reason for a delay in payment, that's no big deal... we'll figure it out.
How to Take a Look
We run all of our auctions through a website called bid13.com. Head over there, enter our zip code, and you'll see what's currently up for bid at Marlin EZ Storage locations. No account needed to browse — just to bid.
If You Rent With Us, Here's How to Never Worry About This
Pay on time and communicate with us if something comes up — that's really it. We'd always rather hear from you and work something out than have your things end up on an auction site.
Tenant protection plans are also available on every unit if you want extra peace of mind for what you're storing.
Veterans, active military, first responders, teachers, and nurses get a permanent 10% discount — just mention it when you call or reserve.
If you're looking for a place of your own instead of a deal on someone else's, first month is still just $1 through the end of the year.
Call or text Greg at (254) 277-2888 with questions, or check bid13.com for what's currently up for auction.
