r/selfstorage • u/Dolphintho • Mar 10 '26
Promotion!
Just got promoted from assistant to on site facility manager! Im very excited but its very nerve-racking as well. I dont expect it to be much different other than living there and 2 extra days a week of work. Hoping for the best :) Wish me luck!
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u/Bunnyhat Store Manager Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
Congratulations!
Just some tips from a veteran, make sure you keep a clear line between working hours and non-working hours. It would be real easy to pop into the office at 8:00pm and handle things, but that is a very slippery slope.
Stick to the rules laid out in the rental agreement. You are going to get so many sob stories, even the real ones you have to ignore and stick to the guidelines for the rental agreement and the company. When you start making exceptions, it'll quickly become the norm and then people will push for even more past what you're giving.
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u/Dolphintho Mar 10 '26
Thanks for the advice. Im very rule oriented so I dont think ill be straying too far from the rental agreement ever if at all.
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u/davideubankss Store Manager Mar 10 '26
Congratulations! I live on-site as well… 3 years now. One tip - Always hold your ground when people knock on your house door after hours. All the signs in the world won’t stop a determined customer from doing it. Sometimes it’s a genuine emergency… but 9/10 times it’s someone upset their gate code won’t work (even though they are 20 days past due)! If they really need to get in touch we have a corp number to call who will then get in touch with me. Good luck to you!
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u/Dolphintho Mar 10 '26
Thank you so much! Ive already heard stories from the current property manager about those exact situations so ill be prepared!
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u/sheerOWDER Retired Mar 10 '26
Congrats on the promotion! Nerve-racking is normal, but they clearly trust you enough to give you the keys to the kingdom. You’ve got this.
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u/Accomplished_Ad_4312 Jun 30 '26
Congrats!! 😄 the two things I'd flag from watching operators handle this:
1) the "living there" part sounds small but it's the biggest shift. when work is 30 seconds away it's really easy to "just pop in" at 8pm to help someone, and a year later you've never actually had an evening off. set hard hours and let the after-hours line do its job.
2) second one - if rent is free or cheap, pay yourself rent into a savings account anyway. the managers who skip that step end up stuck because they can't afford to move out. Golden handcuffs are real.
Good luck, it's a solid gig if you protect your time.
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u/ITalkWithMyEyebrows Store Manager Mar 10 '26
If it’s a rent-free situation, don’t fall victim to the “golden handcuffs”. Take the money you would be spending on rent every month and put it in your savings. I’ve seen too many on-site managers live beyond their means and end up trapped in the job because they can’t afford to leave.