New York Assembly Bill A08060

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/22/25
• Refer: 4/22/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Permits the sale of goods that remain in a self-storage facility to enforce a lien by the facility through a public website, pursuant to notice requirements.

Summary

A08060 amends New York’s Lien Law provisions governing self-storage facility liens. Under current law, a storage facility owner may enforce a lien by selling an occupant’s goods after providing required notice. This bill expands that process by expressly allowing sales to occur through a public website, in addition to in-person sales, so long as the sale is conducted in a commercially reasonable manner and proper notice is given to interested parties. The bill also updates the notice rules for lien enforcement. It allows notice to be delivered personally, by registered or certified mail, or by verified mail plus email, but electronic notice is effective only if the rental agreement specifically authorizes email notices and lists the occupant’s email address in at least two places. The bill further requires advertisements for the sale to be published either in a newspaper of general circulation or on a publicly accessible website that regularly advertises such sales, and it adds specific content requirements for those advertisements. It also includes a new provision allowing a facility owner to have a motor vehicle or watercraft towed after 60 consecutive days of default, with notice obligations and a limitation on the owner’s liability after the towing company takes possession.

Impact

This bill would amend section 182 of the New York Lien Law by modernizing the enforcement process for self-storage liens and expressly recognizing online public sales as a lawful method of disposition. It would affect self-storage facility owners, tenants/occupants, lienholders, towing companies, and any third parties claiming an interest in stored property. The bill also clarifies when electronic notice is valid, how sale advertisements may be published, and how motor vehicles and watercraft in defaulted storage situations may be removed.

Sentiment

The bill appears generally practical and modernization-oriented, with its stated purpose focused on giving storage facilities a clearer, more flexible way to enforce liens using online sales and electronic notice. The available record shows no committee transcript, votes, or recorded opposition, so there is no documented debate in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the measure seems aimed at updating notice and sale procedures to reflect current business practices rather than making a controversial policy shift.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are procedural fairness and consumer notice. Tenants or consumer advocates could be concerned that online sales, email notices, and website advertising may make it easier for property to be sold without the occupant fully understanding the process, while storage operators may support the bill as a modernization that reduces administrative burden and improves efficiency. The towing provision for motor vehicles and watercraft could also raise concern because it allows removal after 60 days of default and limits the owner’s liability once the towing company takes possession.