The move-out nobody talks about
By Jackson Stevens, CEO, SpareBox Technologies
Data: RaFA, July 2024 to October 2026
Key takeaways
- A blocked move-out is a scheduled move-out that a manager marks as blocked in RaFA instead of verifying and processing it.
- In RaFA data from July 2024 to October 2026, 6,495 unique units had at least one blocked move-out.
- A normal move-out is confirmed in a median of 1.7 days. Blocked move-outs take far longer.
- 1,097 units were blocked twice and 547 were blocked three times. Some units were blocked more than 21 times.
Most operators don’t have a codified term for a blocked move-out, but we all know what it is. A tenant has scheduled a move-out and when a manager goes to verify the move-out, the unit either has the customer lock still affixed or there are items, whether valuable or not, left behind.
In SpareBox nomenclature, a blocked move-out is a scheduled move-out a manager marks as “blocked” in RaFA instead of verifying and processing. RaFA is SpareBox Technologies’ operations technology for self-storage facilities. We pulled every move-out logged in RaFA since July 2024 and found 6,495 unique units with at least one blocked move-out.
A unit with a blocked move-out is functionally the same as an unrentable unit: it can’t generate revenue.
Why do move-outs get blocked?
When a manager goes to move out a unit in RaFA, they either process it or mark it blocked. A move-out gets blocked for one of three reasons. The tenant’s lock is still on the unit. They left something of value behind. Or they left trash. Instead of making a note to call the tenant back or sending an email or chat message to another team member to follow up, RaFA allows the manager to simply click a button indicating the move-out is blocked, select a reason for the block, snap a picture, and move on with their day.
The tenant will automatically get a templated email and text message with the picture taken by the manager. All of this is tracked in the facility management software and in the RaFA communications log, where district managers and executives can review the messages and photographs.
How long does a blocked move-out take to clear?
In RaFA data from July 2024 to October 2026, a normal move-out is confirmed in a median of 1.7 days. Blocked move-outs take far longer, and many come back again and again.
How many units are blocked more than once?
Of the 6,495 units, 1,097 (16.9%) were blocked twice and 547 (8.3%) were blocked three times. A unit should never be blocked more than twice. It is imperative for a standard operating procedure to be in place to intervene when the tenant is not rectifying the situation. It is hard to believe, but there are instances where the same unit was marked as a blocked move-out more than 21 times!
What does a blocked move-out cost an operator?
A blocked unit is functionally the same as an unrentable unit: it can’t be rented. You may technically have a tenant on the hook for the bill, but if that tenant has moved on with their desired belongings and you don’t have an active payment method on file, you could easily find yourself in a lien process. Now bad debt is accruing and the unit is tied up for at least 3 months before it can start generating revenue again.
Let’s say the unit is $118 per month, and let’s say the unit’s move-out is blocked 5 times over the course of 45 days. That’s $236 of bad debt, not counting any lost tenant insurance revenue or other fees, and approximately 2 months of missed revenue (admin fees, insurance, merchandise): $289 missed. That’s an opportunity cost of $525, all because the operator wasn’t even aware that blocked move-outs were a problem.
Stop letting blocked move-outs sit.
RaFA already logs every block, reason, and photo. If you’re not yet on RaFA, book a demo and we’ll show you how this and other capabilities demystify your operation and allow you to start operating more profitably.
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