Reserve and sign online
Renters choose a unit size, see the current rate and sign the agreement on a phone, with the unit held while payment completes.
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Reserve, Access and Manage a Storage Unit From Your Phone
SIZ Group designs and builds a self-service app for self storage operators that lets renters reserve a unit, sign their agreement, get a gate code and manage their account without calling the front desk. The app connects to your management software, so each unit, rate and access code matches the records your team already keeps.
01
How rental requests move through a storage facility today
A storage renter often starts with a search on a phone, pulls up three facilities and calls the one that answers first. The front desk then reads out unit sizes, rates and move-in dates while a manager checks availability on a separate screen. Many of those calls repeat questions the website already answers, but the website cannot take a booking.
After move-in the calls keep coming. A renter wants a gate code for a Sunday visit, asks whether a late payment will lock them out or wants to know the notice needed to move out. Each answer lives in a different place: the management software, the gate system and a handwritten note on the front counter.
02
A renter's visit from request to gate code
A renter in a dense city neighborhood searches for a ten-by-ten unit and finds a facility two miles away with climate control available. She picks the unit, sees the rate and the move-in date, and signs the rental agreement on her phone. The app holds the unit while she completes the payment step.
Once she has paid, the app issues a gate code that works only from the start of her rental, and it sends a reminder before her first visit with the access hours. On a Sunday she needs a lock change, so she submits the request in the app. The front desk sees it in the queue with her unit attached and confirms a time.
When she plans to move out, she gives notice in the app. It shows the notice period from her agreement and the date she must vacate. The facility sees the notice in its records, and her gate code is set to stop working after her final day, with no phone call needed.
03
Gate access, lien notices and payment security
Lien laws are the biggest rule here. Many states set specific steps before a facility can sell a delinquent unit's contents, including written notices and waiting periods. The app can track each notice and its date, but it should never send a lien notice or trigger a sale outside the process your counsel has approved for your state.
Payment and access data need care. Card details belong with a PCI compliant processor, and the app should hold only payment tokens. Gate codes must be unique, expire when a rental ends and never appear in a message that could be forwarded. Identity checks should follow your facility policy and the rules in your state.
What you get
Key features
Gate codes that expire
Codes are issued for the rental period only, with access hours shown and a reminder before the first visit.
Lock change and access requests
Renters ask for a lock change or access help in the app, and the request lands in the front desk queue with the unit attached.
Move-out notice
Notice is given against the agreement's notice period, and the final date and gate code cut-off are shown clearly.
04
Summer peaks, January lulls and month-end moves
Self storage demand follows a clear calendar. Summer is the busiest season, with moves, college breaks and home renovations, while January and February are quieter. Month-end and first-of-month dates matter too, because many renters move in or out on the first. The app should show availability and rates that reflect those patterns.
During a summer peak, the app should carry more truck rental and move-in bookings, and the reservation flow should hold a unit for a short window so two people cannot take the last one. In quieter months the focus moves to account messages and early renewal notices. Seasonal rules can be set per facility, since a coastal site and an inland site rarely peak together.
- Unit holds that release automatically if payment stalls
- Truck rental and move-in offers switched on for peak weeks
- Month-end move-out reminders sent before the first
- Renewal notices scheduled for the quieter winter months
05
What the facility team gives us to start
Start with the unit list for each facility, with sizes, climate control and rates, plus the rules for promotions and first-month discounts. Bring the gate system details, the access hours and the notice rules in your rental agreement. We also need the lien process your counsel has approved for each state.
Access comes next. We need read access to your management software or an export, a named administrator and a record of how gate codes are issued today. Where your team uses a separate tool for truck rentals or insurance, tell us early, because those flows need to connect to the app.
- Unit list with sizes, climate control and current rates
- Promotion and first-month discount rules
- Gate system details, access hours and code rules
- Notice periods and lien steps approved for each state
06
Mistakes that make storage renters call anyway
The first mistake is a booking flow that does not match the facility's real inventory. If the app offers a unit a manager has already moved, the renter arrives annoyed and the phone calls increase. Synchronize availability with the management software before launch, and test it with the units that change most often.
The second is hiding the rules. Renters call when they cannot see the notice period, the late fee or the access hours. Show those facts plainly during the reservation and the calls about them fall away. A third mistake is treating gate codes as an afterthought, because they are the first thing a renter needs on move-in day.
Do renters need to download an app?+
Not necessarily. The booking flow works in a mobile browser from your website or a link, and renters who return often can install the app. Both routes feed the same records, so the front desk works from one set of data.
Will this connect to our management software?+
It can, if your software offers an export or an integration. Tools such as SiteLink and storEDGE are common in this trade. We would confirm what your version supports during the scoping call and would not promise a live sync until we have tested it.
How do you stop double bookings?+
Units are held for a short window while payment completes and released if the renter leaves. Availability is checked against the management software at the moment of booking, so two renters cannot take the same unit.
Can the app handle lien notices?+
The app can record and time each notice you send under your approved process, but it does not decide when a lien applies. Your counsel sets the process for each state, and the app enforces only what you configure.
What happens to a renter's data after they move out?+
Records are kept under the retention rules you set, and payment details stay with the processor. Former renters can ask for their records through the app, and we would document the export and deletion steps during scoping.
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Let's make it happen
Let renters book and manage a unit on their own
Send us your unit list and management software on a free call, and we will confirm the scope and price in writing.