Storage Unit Fire: What’s Covered and What to Do
Fire and smoke damage to stored property is covered by a tenant protection plan at replacement cost, with no deductible, up to the limit you chose. The facility’s own insurance covers its buildings, not your belongings. Here is what happens after a storage facility fire, what is covered, and how a claim works.
Who pays when a storage facility burns?
The facility’s property insurance covers the structure: the roof, walls, and doors. It does not cover what tenants keep inside their units. Unless you carry your own coverage or a protection plan, fire loss to stored property is yours to absorb. This is the single most misunderstood fact in self-storage, and it is why protection is offered at move-in.
What Property Protection covers after a fire
Fire and smoke are named covered causes in the Property Protection Addendum. Covered losses pay at replacement cost, not depreciated cash value, with no deductible, up to the coverage limit you chose (up to $10,000). Claims are handled in house, with a goal of settlement in 48 to 72 hours.
- Fire damage to stored property
- Smoke damage to stored property
- Replacement-cost reimbursement
- No deductible at claim time
- Earthquake or volcanic eruption, including sprinkler leakage they cause
- War, military action, or terrorist attack
- Nuclear reaction or radiation
- Losses after you move out
What to do after a storage facility fire
- Wait for the facility to clear access. Units stay closed until the fire department and the operator declare the building safe.
- Photograph your unit exactly as you find it, including smoke residue on items that did not burn. Smoke damage is a covered loss.
- Do not discard anything until it is documented, even items that are a total loss.
- File at msgppclaims.com with photos, an inventory, and replacement estimates.
How fire risk is kept low in the first place
Storage rental agreements prohibit storing fuel, propane tanks, fireworks, and other flammables, and prohibit occupying or working inside units. Those rules exist because a single unit’s contents can put an entire building at risk. Follow them, and drain fuel from any mower or equipment before it goes into storage.
Property Protection is added to your rent at move-in and ends automatically when you move out. There is no separate application and no deductible for a covered claim.