It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. You’re struggling in a particular market where the numbers aren’t what they should be. The problem is not your marketing plan. It’s not your curb appeal, your rates, or your manager. Your competitors are strug- gling as well. The problem is that the market is oversupplied. Then, as if it wasn’t enough of a challenge to stay afloat in this flooded market, you discover that a new self-storage developer is applying for permits to build in the vicinity. What can you do, if anything, to keep a difficult situation from getting worse?

Nearly all operators, large and small, face this challenge at some point. If there was a simple solution, overbuilding would never occur. But one thing is for sure: if no action is taken, oversupply won’t resolve itself. Many operators have found it worth their while to take reasonable action against such new development. Even the best efforts aren’t always successful, but as they say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”