I’m 29 and just found out a storage unit account tied to my name got sent to collections, and I’m trying to figure out how bad this is before I make it worse. Back in 2021 my dad was moving stuff fast after downsizing and asked if he could use my name on the unit because he was between places and said it would only be for a few months. I was stupid and said yes. I forgot about it completely. This week I got a letter saying I owe a little over $1,800 including fees. I called and they confirmed the account is under my name and SSN, even though I have never had a key, never visited the unit, and never stored a single thing there. Financially I can cover it if I have to. I’ve got savings, no other debt, and a small chunk of money from old crypto gains that I never mixed into my regular budget, but I really do not want to just pay this blindly if there’s a smarter way to handle it. My dad keeps saying he’ll “take care of it soon” which is exactly what he said the first time. Do I pay it now to protect my credit and fight with him later, or dispute it first even though the account is technically in my name?
My dad put my name on a storage unit years ago and now the account is in collections
byu/LowtideTalon inpersonalfinance
Posted by LowtideTalon
19 Comments
If you told your Dad to open it in your name, then you were agreeing to be responsible for it. Pay it off and consider it a lesson learned.
see if they will take a discounted payoff if you close the unit
Did you sign anything? If you didn’t actually sign anything, dispute the charges. No one can put anything in your name unless you sign for it.
If you actually signed for it, you may as pay.
Find out what’s in it. Don’t let a trunk full of Krugerrands get away!
If you want to fight your father; I believe first you should have something involving ‘stolen identity’.
Pay it and get paid back by your father and while it’s paid up get it changed back to his name and new address
Pay for it and tell him since it is in your name you are disposing all of the property inside it. It’s been 5 years and he has paid probably $10,000 to store $1000 worth of stuff that he hasn’t needed in 5 years.
Sounds like you’re getting your inheritance now for the low, low price of $1800.
You could probably visit the storage facility and have them cut the lock for you. Negotiate the remaining charges and clean it out. The stuff is yours now as it sounds like your dad abandoned it.
Let it go to auction and buy it back cheap?
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I would pay the bill, and tell dad to take over the unit or it’s getting dumped.
Did you know what is in “your” unit? Storage units are usually filled with junk, it’s not like TV where there valuable stuff all over the place.
If they don’t have your signature on a contract, they don’t have anything against you. Who has been billed all this time? To whose address did they send the invoices? Whose bank account did the money come from? Fight this. If it ultimately went to court, you would ask the judge to direct them to present their evidence. THEY AIN’T GOT ANY. This shady storage company issues leases and does not check ID’s? Even keep a copy. If they do, they do it at their own peril. You are not responsible for your father’s bills.
While you are fighting with the storage company, demand they remove your name from the account. Your father (Who is a hoarder, by the way. There is a problem when shit sits in storage for five years.) will only do this to you AGAIN.
Technically, that’s called fraud. I would just pay it and go after your Dad for the money.
Tell your dad that HE needs to immediately pay the $1,800, then call the collections company and clear up your credit report, or else you’ll be letting the storage unit place know that you’ll be there on Saturday to pay the bill and pick up the stuff in the unit, since it’s in your name.
Don’t worry if they threaten collections. They would auction the whole unit before sending to collections because this is not a situation where they sell your debt and you are no longer a burden. If they send to collections they can never rent that unit out until you take care of contents.
Is there a reason it’s delinquent? Is he abandoning the contents? Or just can’t afford all the late fees?
There’s a form you can fill out and sign as the official tenant and owner of the contents that basically says you surrender all responsibility and gift it to your dad to be 100% responsible.
If he can’t take over and resolve the bill, just tell the front office to auction the unit. They’ll keep the bid amount but doubt it covers the $1800.
If there’s stuff inside to keep, get someone to bid on your behalf and just don’t advertise that they are friends with you.
File a dispute with the credit agencies. They should require the filing agency to provide proof it was you that signed, regardless of if the app had your info on it, you didn’t sign up.
First is the unit closed now? Make sure it’s not still charging you and the materials have been dealt with/sold/removed whatever
Second, you agreed to allow it to be opened in your name. Your dad didn’t put it in your name. You gave him permission to, there’s a huge difference. So no I wouldn’t try any funny business to get out of it.
You can call the collection agency that holds the debt and work out a payment plan if you’d rather do that then pay it off outright.
Many times you can ask for a discount if you pay in full so you maybe save hundreds that way.
Be sure to check into the whole “pay to delete” thing so it actually comes did your credit report. But I don’t know the details on that so do some more digging. Good luck!
I know someone who buys these abandoned for $50 and up. I would think you have plenty of room for negotiation. And dispute if you didn’t sign anything.
I would at least go there and see what’s in it. If it’s got a lock, cut the lock and put a new one on there.
See what’s in there, see if it’s worth $1,800.
If it is great keep it.
If it isn’t, put the lock back on there and hand the key to the storage unit. Tell them to enjoy their auction.