NEW YORK -- Today, Senator Brad Hoylman (Manhattan-D, WFP) demanded Public Storage, the nation’s largest self-storage company, halt the foreclosure auction of a constituent’s personal items and business materials currently stored in four storage units in two Queens locations scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, November 25, 2020. The constituent, a Manhattan senior citizen and small business owner, contacted Senator Hoylman today.

Senator Hoylman said: “Auctioning off personal possessions during a pandemic on the eve of Thanksgiving is as heartless as it is outrageous. I demand Public Storage end this foreclosure action immediately. This foreclosure action by Public Storage is exactly why I introduced the Pandemic Self-Storage Act alongside Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz that will prevent self-storage companies from selling the contents of storage units during the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

In October, Senator Hoylman, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz (Bronx-D/WFP), Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, introduced the Pandemic Self Storage Act (S.9075/A.11110)  to protect New Yorkers’ personal possessions. The Pandemic Self-Storage Act imposes a moratorium prohibiting owners of self-service storage facilities from enforcing a lien held upon their customers’ personal property by public or private sale during the COVID-19 covered period.