It’s a fairly common trope of US cartoons that people down on their luck wind up living in storage lockers. Does this activity happen much in real life?
I’ve known people to live out of storage lockers but never actually living in one. They can take a nap there or set up a makeshift toilet and spend a lot of time there but you can’t shower there or sleep overnight without leaving the thing unlocked from the outside. I’m sure it happens for short term emergencies but it’s pretty impractical long term. Most people who run storage lockers frown upon it big time since it’s a security risk and would raise concerns from people who store their stuff there.
I used to rent a storage unit for holding some excess property. But I saw there was a man who was living in his unit.
I have to question the sense of it. Yes, you get a roof over your head but that’s pretty much it. You have no water or electricity or heat. The monthly rental fee is less than an apartment’s rent but it’s not free. It almost seems like it’s not worth the money you’re paying for such inadequate living space.
I had a guy (friend of boyfriend-at-the-time) live with me who had previously been living in a storage locker. I had invited him to come use the shower if needed since it was bike-distance, but since I’m a huge sucker he ended up living here for like a year.
He had been sharing a house with a dude or two, but that ended so he had to couch surf but was a bit of a hoarder (as much of a hoarder as a 20-something renter could be) so as soon as he lost the house he had to find somewhere for all his stuff. And also his car, which wasn’t driveable for some reason. Since he was paying for this space and not doing much better than couches, he just slept in the space.
But, since the owners weren’t keen on it, he couldn’t stay there forever and couldn’t risk losing his space, he came to live here.
There was no way in hell that kid would ever be able to rent an apartment, and very hard for him to get a couch to sleep on, and he was paying for it anyway, so a storage locker was his best bet.
I strongly suspect it’s technically illegal, either for the person living there or for the “landlord” renting to him—which is not to say it doesn’t ever happen.
It would be illegal to occupy any space that does not have a certificate of occupancy, but I doubt it is specifically illegal to occupy a rental unit.
At a minimum, the building owner would not be entitled to rent for the “living space”, but could still charge the rental fee. The owner would risk civil fines from the city/county/state if he knowingly allowed the tenant to remain. He would also be entitled to break the rental agreement, since a condition of the lease/agreement would be to refrain from living in the unit.
I do not believe there would be any likely criminal charges that might stem from occupying a rental unit, for the owner or tenant. Vagrancy statutes for the tenant might apply, and the building owner might violate criminal statutes, if they exist, regarding knowingly renting illegal dwelling spaces. For the owner especially, those are fairly rare.
Most storage companies would not be keen on having random people wandering the grounds unattended outside visiting hours. It adds to the security risks for other lockers, and the thing these companies sell is basically security. I presume the majority have explicit rules against it, and so the question is - how strictly enforced and what do they do if they catch you?
Also, you see these in movies and TV shows where the serial killer has an abandoned locker with their “mementos” or something. Last time I needed a locker when moving, it was IIRC about $150 or $200 a month… That’s a lot cheaper than an apartment, but certainly not chump change for someone who is homeless or unemployed. Are there seriously cheaper lockers in the USA?
I’m not sure where you’re seeing that it’s a “common trope” of US culture to live in a storage locker. The standard place to be poor is in a-cardboard-box-down-under-the-bridge.
Where do you live? I know nothing of rental prices in the USA but I know that renting one near Paris was 4 times the cost of renting one in a 200k inhabitants town. (respectively €150 and € 40). I would assume there’s as much variation in the USA.
I’m in Canada - from what I see of the US culture, it seems lockers are cheaper in the USA but I have no idea what the market rates are.
The last storage place I used was just a thin metal sided building. No insulation, no heat or cooling. Basically it was the same temp inside as outside. Not a good place for people to live. Or for that matter storing electronics or other temperature sensitive items. It was pretty much the same as storing something in a open carport.
Luxury, we used to dream of living in a cardboard box.
Well, somebody had to say it. 
The management of the facility where I rent a locker discourages occupancy — above and beyond the discouragement written into the lease — by blaring ear-gougingly bad Muzak into the locker space. Seems to work since I’ve never seen any indication of someone living there (not that I’ve really investigated).
I was wondering that too. What cartoons are you talking about?
Owners of storage lockers strongly discourage this because, in addition to the security risks others have noted, it’s a much greater risk of fire.
The illegal ‘resident’ tries to stay warm in winter weather by starting a small fire in a charcoal grill or even just on the floor of the storage unit – which then gets out of control, starts the contents on fire, and burns down the whole storage building, including the contents of all the other storage units.
Then the renters of those units all sue the owner of the storage facility, and the owner’s insurance company declines to cover the losses, since there was a person living in the facility, which is a violation of the insurance policy.
Even if the owner eventually persuades the insurance company that he didn’t know about the occupancy, it’s a major hassle for him, and it means months of no income until the ruins of the facility are demolished and a replacement building constructed.
So storage facility owners react very aggressively if they find this. They will immediately suspend the ‘residents’ contract, and demand he move everything out within a few days. And the name will be passed on to owners of other storage facilities, and that person will find themselves ‘blackballed’ from the other reputable storage facilities in the area.
I had never heard of people living in storage lockers, much less it being common in America. Apart from the owners of such facilities being against the practice, there’s a little problem of ventilation, heating, cooling etc.
Though it’d make for an interesting episode of “Storage Wars”.
“What am I bid on this fabulous collection of furniture, used tools and appliances, and Bob?”
Not that I would or anything, but I could easily make it work, and it would certainly be a heck of a lot cheaper than other options. A 10x10’ unit is ~$200 around here. I can shower at work (and there are enough around that I could find one within walking distance of work). Weather here is pleasant enough year-round to not require heating or air conditioning (it can get a tad uncomfortable on rare occasions, but never a health risk). Units have light bulbs that could be tapped into to provide small amounts of electricity, e.g. to charge a phone or laptop.
If I still had my job but really, really had to save every last dime, I could see it making sense. It makes less sense if you’re jobless, though.
I have seen more people living in their cars than storage lockers.
I said it was a “fairly common trope of American cartoons”. Cartoons tend to be fantastical of course but are often based upon real world things hence my question. American Dad and The Simpsons both had characters living in storage lockers and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it in other tv shows but can’t recall right now which ones. From the responses here it seems it is quite rare but if you google “living in a storage unit” you’ll see it’s not so rare as people haven’t discussed it amply.
One of my fellow students at the University of Hawaii was from Mauai. He had a home on Mauai but during the semesters would live in a van on Oahu. So he was homeless but only on one island.