§8-15-34. Satisfaction of owner's lien.

An owner's lien as provided for a claim which has become due may be satisfied as follows:

(1) No enforcement action shall be taken by the owner until the occupant has been in default continuously for a period of 30 days.

(2) Prior to taking enforcement action pursuant to this section, the owner shall determine whether a financing statement has been filed in accordance with Title 7 concerning the property to be sold or otherwise disposed of, with the Secretary of State, in the county where the self-service storage facility is located and in the county of the occupant's last known address.

(3) After the occupant has been in default continuously for a period of 30 days, the owner may begin enforcement action if the occupant has been notified in writing. Said notice shall be delivered in person or sent by certified or registered mail to the last known address of the occupant. Any lienholder with an interest in the property to be sold or otherwise disposed of, of whom the owner has knowledge either through the disclosure provision on the rental agreement or through finding a validly filed financing statement in the Secretary of State's office, shall be included in the notice process as provided in this section.

(4) The owner shall have the right to deny the occupant access to the leased space and the owner may enter and/or remove the personal property from the leased space to other suitable storage space pending its sale or other disposition.

(5) The notice required by this section shall include:

a. An itemized statement of the owner's claim showing the sum due at the time of the notice and the date when the sum became due;

b. A brief and general description of the personal property subject to the lien. Such description shall be reasonably adequate to permit the person notified to identify such property; except that any container including, but not limited to, a trunk, valise, or box that is locked, fastened, sealed, or tied in a manner which deters immediate access to its contents may be described as such without describing its contents;

c. A notification of denial of access to the personal property, if such denial is permitted under the terms of the rental agreement, which notification shall provide the name, street address, and telephone number of the owner or his designated agent whom the occupant may contact to respond to such notification;

d. A demand for payment within a specified time, not less than 15 days after delivery of the notice;

e. A conspicuous statement that, unless the claim is paid within the time stated in the notice, the personal property will be advertised for sale or other disposition and will be sold or otherwise disposed of at a specified time and place.

(6) Any notice made pursuant to this section shall be presumed delivered when it is deposited with the United States postal service and properly addressed with postage prepaid.

(7) After the expiration of the time given in the notice, an advertisement of the sale or other disposition shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the self-service storage facility is located. The advertisement shall include:

a. A brief and general description of the personal property reasonably adequate to permit its identification as provided in paragraph (5)b. of this section; the address of the self-service storage facility and the number, if any, of the space where the personal property is located; and the name of the occupant and his last known address;

b. The time, place, and manner of the sale or other disposition. The sale or other disposition shall take place not sooner than 15 days after the first publication.

(8) If there is no newspaper of general circulation in the county where the self-service storage facility is located, the advertisement shall be posted at least 10 days before the date of the sale or other disposition in not less than six conspicuous places in the neighborhood where the self-service storage facility is located.

(9) Any sale or other disposition of the personal property shall conform to the terms of the notification as provided for in this section.

(10) Any sale or other disposition of the personal property shall be held at the self-service storage facility or at the nearest suitable place where the personal property is held or stored. The property may be sold singly, in lots or as a whole. Bids may be sealed or open.

(11) Before any sale or other disposition of personal property pursuant to this section, the occupant may pay the amount necessary to satisfy the lien and the reasonable expenses incurred under this section and thereby redeem the personal property. Upon receipt of such payment, the owner shall return the personal property, and thereafter the owner shall have no liability to any person with respect to such personal property.

(12) A purchaser in good faith of the personal property sold to satisfy a lien as provided in this article takes the property free of any rights of persons against whom the lien was valid, despite noncompliance by the owner with the requirements of this section.

(13) In the event of a sale under this section, the owner may satisfy his lien from the proceeds of the sale. The lien rights of secured lienholder(s) are automatically transferred to the remaining proceeds of the sale. If the sale is made in good faith and is conducted in a commercially reasonable manner, the owner shall not be subject to any liability for a deficiency if the amount realized at sale does not satisfy any secured lien, but shall hold the balance, if any, for delivery to the occupant, lienholder, or other person in interest. If the occupant, lienholder, or other person in interest does not claim the balance of the proceeds within three years of the date of sale, it shall become the property of the owner without further recourse by the occupant, lienholder, or other person in interest.

(14) If the requirements of this article are not satisfied, if the sale of the personal property is not in conformity with the notice of sale, or if there is a willful violation of this article, nothing in this section affects the rights and liabilities of the owner, occupant, or any other person.

(Acts 1981, No. 81-769, p. 1321, §5.)