One facility has an exhaust fan. Another has an air-conditioning unit. A third has a full HVAC system with humidity control.
They're all climate-controlled...(?)
What does that even mean? Is there any law on the books that will help us define what climate control really means?
Scott Zucker answered this question live on our 2024 Storage Legal Update. You can check out his response below!
Question: "Is there a legal definition of climate-controlled storage unit?"
Check out the video clip below to hear their answers:
In this Gabfocus Session: 2024 Storage Legal Update, Scott Zucker (Weissmann Zucker Euster + Katz, P.C.) gave Tommy, Melissa, and the rest of us a run-down of the current self storage legal landscape.
Check out the full Session to dive deeper!
Don't want to watch the clip? Here's what Lee had to say:
Well, if you're providing air conditioning in, I'm trying to think air conditioning in, in a state that is otherwise hot. I'm trying to picture like you provide air conditioning in Arizona.
Yeah, you know, I typically, I don't think operators use heat in Arizona to create a controlled climate in their building. They're more worried about the air conditioning than they are the heat.
Here's my answer to that confusing question: anyway is what is climate control?
There is no definition by law of the term climate control.
So, so the only way to identify what you are advertising is to define the term that you are advertising. So if you, if you offer climate control, your rental agreement should define what that means and your website should define what that means.
Does that mean you are only doing temperature control?
Does it mean you're only doing air conditioning?
Does it mean you may only be doing heating?
I've heard facilities that are only doing, that's some sort of ventilated heat system that's either HVAC oriented or not. So the answer to it is whatever you define as climate control in your rental agreement and website is what your customer would therefore be entitled to rely on when they're renting from you.
So if you, if you want to advertise climate control, but clarify that your climate control means air conditioning only, then do that because you're not hiding anything, you're transparent about what you are using as your definition of climate control."
—Scott Zucker
