Provides relative to the Self-Service Storage Facility Act. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 165 amends the Self-Service Storage Facility Act found in Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9 to modernize notice and enforcement procedures while establishing clear rules for unsigned rental agreements and abandoned property. The bill adds a statutory definition of "default" as the failure by a lessee to timely perform any obligation under the rental agreement or the Act, clarifies that rental agreements may be delivered and accepted electronically, and modifies the methods by which owners must notify lessees. Specifically, the bill eliminates the requirement to send notices by both primary and secondary email addresses and text message, replacing it with a single electronic mail address provided by the lessee and listed in the rental agreement. The bill also creates three new sections addressing unsigned agreements, termination procedures, and abandoned property: Section 4759.1 provides that a lessee's continued use of storage space for at least thirty days after delivery of an unexecuted rental agreement constitutes acceptance with the same legal effect as a signed agreement; Section 4759.2 establishes a procedure for owners to terminate rental agreements with notice to the lessee and a fifteen-day period for removal of property; and Section 4759.3 addresses the disposition of property remaining after non-renewal of a lease.

Self-service storage facility owners and their lessees are directly affected by these amendments. Owners gain significant operational flexibility through electronic acceptance of unsigned agreements, streamlined notification procedures that reduce administrative complexity in contacting lessees, and clearer authority to dispose of abandoned property without extensive notice requirements. Lessees receive simplified notice procedures requiring only one email address rather than multiple communication methods, a defined thirty-day period to accept or reject delivered agreements through continued use, and a fifteen-day notice and removal period before owners may assert lien rights on abandoned property. The changes particularly benefit owners managing multiple units and dealing with delinquent accounts, as the consolidated notice requirements and the deemed acceptance of unsigned agreements after thirty days reduce delays in enforcement actions.

The bill operates within the existing regulatory framework established in Louisiana Revised Statutes Chapter 9, which governs secured transactions and privileges in movable property. The amendments modify the interaction between rental agreements and the statutory lien privilege that owners hold for unpaid rent and charges, preserving the owner's right to accelerate future rents or cancel the lease while clarifying when enforcement may occur. The bill maintains the requirement that owners provide notice of privilege before enforcement and respects the thirty-day waiting period for owners without written rental agreements containing such notice. The changes to advertising requirements, which now require websites to "regularly advertise or conduct" auctions rather than merely providing a venue for such activities, align with commercial practices in personal property disposition. The electronic delivery provisions reflect modern communication standards and align with general trends in Louisiana commercial law permitting electronic contracting, though the bill preserves verified mail as an alternative delivery method for critical notices.