unlawfulcharges.comOne unit, one tenant, 280% higher
Public Storage signs customers up at one monthly rate and then raises it repeatedly on the same unit. In one documented tenancy, a customer who rented a 10' x 30' unit in 2017 at $231 a month all-in was paying $880 a month for the same space by mid-2026, an increase of roughly 280%, with no change in the unit, the facility, or the service.
This is not an accident. The self-storage industry has a name for it: the existing-customer rate increase. Attract the customer with a low move-in rate, then raise it, because moving a full storage unit is painful enough that most customers pay.
The part customers are never told
Two things are missing at signing. First, Public Storage does not tell customers how high the rate can climb - no disclosed ceiling, schedule, or standard governing increases. Second, long-term customers routinely end up paying far more than Public Storage's own advertised rate for an identical unit at the same facility.
This investigation is about that gap: what the existing customer pays versus what the company itself charges a new renter for the same unit.
Lawmakers and regulators have started to respond
California now requires self-storage operators to disclose, on the first page of every new rental agreement, whether the rate is promotional, whether it can change, and the maximum the operator could charge during the first 12 months. California also caps storage price increases at 10% following a declared emergency - a protection extended in 2025 from 30 days to 180 days - and makes a violation an unlawful business practice. Public Storage's operating entity has already paid $140,000 in civil penalties under a stipulated judgment with the Sonoma County District Attorney over increases after the 2017 Northern California wildfires.
New York City's consumer-protection agency sued Extra Space Storage in February 2026 over bait-and-switch storage pricing in which rates of roughly $100 to $150 rose to $300 or more, and Colorado and Connecticut both adopted storage pricing-transparency requirements taking effect in 2026. Regulators are paying attention to the industry's repricing model.
What the law says about your increases
Consumer-protection statutes in all 50 states reach pricing practices that are unfair or deceptive, and charging a captive existing customer far above the operator's own advertised rate for the identical unit is the kind of practice those statutes address. Because the overcharge repeats with every monthly bill, each month may be separately actionable, which matters for customers whose increases began years ago.
Depending on the state, remedies can include recovery of the overcharge, statutory damages, and in some states multiplied damages plus attorney's fees.
Do you qualify?
You may have a claim if you have rented from Public Storage for a year or more and your rate has been raised substantially above what you agreed to pay at move-in - especially if new customers are being offered the same size unit at your facility for less than you now pay. Your rate-increase letters, your rental agreement, and Public Storage's advertised price for a comparable unit are the useful records.
Maginnis Howard pursues these claims for customers individually, and there is no fee unless money is recovered for you. The short questionnaire on this page is the first step.
The legal basis
Why this may be illegal
Public Storage signs customers up at one monthly rate, then raises it repeatedly on the same unit — in one documented tenancy, from $231 a month all-in to $880 a month over nine years for the identical 10' x 30' space, roughly a 280% increase. The company does not tell customers at signing how high the rate can climb, and long-term customers are routinely charged far more than the company's own advertised rate for an identical unit at the same facility.
The law
This conduct has already been officially outlawed in California, which now requires self-storage operators to disclose on the first page of a new rental agreement whether the rate is promotional, whether it can change, and the maximum the operator could charge during the first 12 months. But consumer-protection statutes in all 50 states reach pricing practices that are unfair or deceptive. California also caps increases on storage services at 10% above the pre-emergency price after a declared emergency, and extended that protection in 2025 from 30 days to 180 days; a violation is an unlawful business practice under California's unfair competition law. Public Storage's operating entity paid $140,000 in civil penalties under a stipulated judgment with the Sonoma County District Attorney for violating those price-gouging limits after the 2017 Northern California wildfires. Where an overcharge repeats every month, each month may be separately actionable.
What you could recover
What you can recover is the overcharge itself: the difference between the rate you were charged as an existing customer and what the same facility was advertising for a comparable unit at the same time, counted for every month that gap lasted.
Time works in your favor here. Each month's overcharge counts separately, so a long tenancy is not shut out by the filing deadline — in California the recovery reaches back four years from filing, and elsewhere for whatever period your state's law allows.
Several other amounts can be layered on top. The premiums you paid for tenant insurance or a protection plan over those same months can be returned; Public Storage settled claims over those charges for $5 million. California allows your actual losses or a $1,000 minimum, plus restitution. North Carolina triples damages and adds attorney fees. And where an increase landed during a declared emergency, everything charged above the state's 10% cap is recoverable — California extends that protection for 180 days after a declaration.
What an individual claim comes to depends mostly on how long you rented and how far your rate drifted from what the same facility was quoting new customers.
How your claim would be handled
Claims like this are handled as individual arbitration cases — private proceedings, no courtroom. For Public Storage, cases are typically administered through JAMS.
What You Agreed to Pay* vs. What You Pay Now*
| What You Agreed to Pay* (10' x 30' unit, rented 2017) | $231.00 |
| Increase (2019) | +$63.00 |
| Increase (2022) | +$109.00 |
| Increase (2024) | +$116.00 |
| Increase (2025) | +$179.00 |
| Increase (2026) | +$96.00 |
| Increase (effective July 1, 2026) | +$86.00 |
| What You Pay Now* (Same unit, after repeated increases) | $880.00 |
Figures shown are illustrative examples, not records of an actual transaction; your amounts may differ.
Think you're affected? Check if you qualify and sign up in about two minutes — no upfront cost.
Check if you qualifyFrequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for this?
You don't pay anything unless we recover compensation on your behalf. Our legal team works on contingency — we only get paid if you do.
I still rent the unit. Can I participate?
Yes. Current customers and former customers may both qualify. You do not have to move out to make a claim.
Isn't the company allowed to raise the rent?
A rental agreement usually permits increases with notice. The question in this investigation is different: whether the operator concealed how high the rate could go, and whether charging a long-term customer far more than a new customer pays for the identical unit is unfair or deceptive under consumer-protection law.
My rent went up years ago. Am I too late?
Not necessarily. Where the overcharge repeats every month, each month can count separately, so a long rental may still be within the time limits. Tell us your dates and we'll evaluate it.
Do I need proof of my rental?
You don't need proof to sign up today, but we'll eventually ask for billing statements, rate-increase notices, or your online account history.
Will I have to go to court?
No, we will file everything on your behalf.
What is Maginnis Howard?
Maginnis Howard is a consumer protection and personal injury law firm serving clients nationwide. You may find more details about us at www.carolinalaw.com.
What if I have other questions?
For all other questions, contact us at unlawfulcharges@carolinalaw.com.
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