Compare
Custody Vault vs. a Self-Storage Unit
Self-storage has the same failure mode as a bank box and a worse one on top of it: Florida lien law lets the facility auction the contents.
Consultations with counsel are complimentary. We can meet at the facility or at your office.
Side by side
| Category | Florida Intervault | Self-Storage Unit |
|---|---|---|
| If rent goes unpaid | Named custodian contacted before expiry | State lien laws permit the facility to auction the contents |
| Security | 9R vault, man-trap entry, armed monitoring | A padlock and a roll-up door |
| Climate control | 70°F ±2°, 50% RH ±5° | Basic or none |
| Insurance | Lloyd’s coverage available at replacement value | Facility cover is typically pennies per unit |
| Staff access | No staff member can open a client box alone | Facility staff hold access |
| Inventory | Written and signed | None |
| Built for | High-value and irreplaceable property | Household goods and furniture |
The fair case
What Self-Storage Unit genuinely does better
Self-storage is the correct product for volume and it is far cheaper per square foot than anything a vault offers. For an estate that has to clear a house — furniture, boxes, the contents of a garage — a storage unit is what you want, and custody storage is not competing for that work. Access is generally unrestricted hours, which for a personal representative doing a clear-out over a weekend genuinely matters.
The failure mode
Where it breaks
It breaks the moment the unit holds anything of concentrated value. The facility does not know what is inside, insures it barely if at all, and its standard agreement commonly prohibits storing valuables — meaning a loss can sit outside the contract entirely. There is no inventory, so an estate has no record of contents. And unpaid rent leads to a lien sale, which is a lawful process that transfers the contents to a stranger. For a fiduciary, that combination is difficult to defend afterwards.
Our view
The honest verdict
A storage unit is the wrong instrument for a multi-year absence. The lien exposure alone should rule it out for any property a client would be distressed to lose.
Other comparisons
Custody Vault vs. a Bank Safe Deposit Box
For a short absence the difference is minor. For a term measured in years it is the difference between property that is still there and property the state has sold.
Read more →
Custody Vault vs. Leaving It With Family
This is what most clients do by default. It is free, it is immediate, and it is the arrangement that produces the most litigation afterwards.
Read more →
Compare it in person instead.
Tours are private and by appointment. You will see the vault door, the man-trap entry, and the box sizes in person. No account relationship is required to visit.