This content was created by Joe Downs. This content was uploaded by Joe Downs. This is a YouTube video titled "Day 11: Can You Run a Self Storage Facility Part-Time? Here's What Operators Actually Say" (Storage 100 series) published December 14, 2025. It is a solo presentation by Joe Downs of Self Storage Mastermind explaining whether and how self-storage can be run part-time. He outlines realistic time commitments across phases (acquisition: 100+ hours over initial months; stabilization months 4–12: ~10–20 hrs/week; steady state year 2+: ~5–10 hrs/week), common time-consuming tasks (tenant calls, collections, auctions, maintenance, pricing), and when full-time attention is required (distressed assets, major renovations, development). He emphasizes automation and technology (online rentals, autopay/automated collections, modern gate access, remote management) and recommends platforms (Storable/SiteLink/ESS, Tenant Inc., Cubby). He describes three operational models—owner-operator with automation, remote owner with onsite manager, and third-party management (5–8% fee for fully managed)—and gives action steps: honestly assess available time, research management software, and interview third-party managers. The video closes with audience engagement prompts (like, subscribe, share).
Chapters
All right. Welcome back to day 11 of the Storage 100 series. I am Joe Downs with the Self Storage Mastermind. This is the question everybody asks. Can you really run self-storage part-time? Short answer is yes, but we need to be honest about what that actually means. Many people get into this business thinking it's a completely hands-off investment, and that expectation is dangerous and usually leads to failure. So let's break down the reality of the time commitment and look at how much time you spend in the beginning versus when you're stabilized. The key is understanding where your time goes and how to automate those tasks. You get to the honest truth about the time commitment so you can plan your entry into this business right away. So let's start by tackling the biggest conception out there. The passive income myth is the first thing we need to address head on. This business is not a set it and forget it business like a stock portfolio might be. That idea is a total myth. You won't be collecting checks while you sleep without putting in the work first. The reality is that self-storage is semi-passive, especially once you have the right systems in place. You should still plan for 5 to 20 hours a week depending on the phase of your investment. It's passive. It's more passive, I should say, than owning apartment buildings, but it's far less passive than owning stocks. So you still need ongoing oversight for things like collections and rate pricing. And you can automate a lot of the work, but it will never be 100% hands-off. Understanding this reality is what's going to set you up for success and not disappointment. So let's take a look at how that time commitment changes over the life of the commitment. So how much time are we actually talking about? Well, time commitment changes dramatically based on where you are in the business cycle. So you need to prepare for a little heavier lift during the acquisition phase. In the first 3 months, you're easily looking at over 100 hours total for due diligence, financing, and closing. But there's not a ton of time over 3 months. And this is not a part-time job yet. It's a project at first. Once you hit the stabilization phase, maybe months 4 through 12, somewhere in there, then the time commitment drops. But it's still, you know, a little more, more than just passive. So you're setting up systems, marketing, you're refining your process, which takes 10 to 20 hours a week. The goal is to get to the steady state phase, which is maybe year 2 and beyond. And this is where you're going to achieve that part-time goal, right? Spending 5 to 10 hours a week. Um, every facility is different. I'm not saying you can't achieve that earlier, but I'm just trying to set a general guideline here so you're not disappointed. Um, you're mostly monitoring metrics at that point, coordinating maintenance and adjusting rates. But what exactly you're doing during those hours? Well, let's break down those tasks that eat up your time. If you want to manage your time, you need to know where it's going first and foremost. So these are tasks that you see here that actually take up the bulk of your weekly hours. Tenant calls and inquiries are a big one. Could be 2 to 4 hours a week. This would include move-ins, questions, access issues, etc. Collections and late payments are another major time sink. Hopefully not, but could be depending on the facility. So following up on overdue accounts, managing delinquencies can take 1 to 3 hours every week. And then if you have to deal with auctions and lien sales, they're less frequent, but that might be 2 to 5 hours a month. They're a little more intensive when they happen, but again, they're infrequent. And then even maintenance coordination and pricing adjustments take a few hours a week. So good news is that most of these time-consuming tasks can be dramatically reduced, and we do that through technology and automation. Technology is absolutely the key to making self-storage a truly part-time job. You got to embrace automation to cut your time commitment in half for sure. Online rentals are non-negotiable. They allow tenants to rent 24/7 without ever picking up the phone. That'll save you 5 to 10 hours a week right there. Automated billing or autopay, as we call it, is another huge time saver. Autopay late fees, collection notices should all be done automatically, and that'll save you 3 to 5 hours a week on collections alone. if it's done automatically. Modern gate access systems mean you don't need to be on site to grant access. That's another 2 to 4 hours a week if you upgrade your facility to, you know, for all these, for all these automations. Ultimately, remote management software lets you monitor from anywhere, and that's a huge time saver. This technology is what enables the part-time operation. What if you want to be even more hands-off though? Well, then you have third-party management as an option. So talked about automation, but the key to true passive income is third-party management. So this option is the path to being an owner and not an operator. You're paying 5 to 8% of your gross revenue for this freedom. So for a half a million dollar facility, let's say that's maybe $25,000 to $40,000 a year, which is not nothing. But what do you get back for that cost? You get your time back. So you're spending maybe 2 to 5 hours a month now reviewing reports and making big picture decisions. Become an asset manager, managing the manager at that point. Manager handles the daily grind, rentals, collections, maintenance calls. They'll bring proven systems and software you don't have to set up yourself. It's a great solution for out-of-state investors or busy professionals. Lets you focus on finding your next deal instead of chasing down late payments, if that's what you want to do. Meaning find the next deal. But if you don't want to pay that 8%, there's other ways to be successful part-time. So let's look at those scenarios. So we just covered the full passive model, but maybe you want to keep more of that profit margin. Well, you can absolutely run a successful part-time facility part-time. We see 3 viable models that make that work for part-time owners. The first is the owner-operator with automation. Kind of COVID a little bit of, but maybe this is 10 to 15 hours a week. You're going to handle everything remotely using technology like online rentals, and automated billing. Second model is the remote owner with an onsite manager. So this will cut your time down to 5 to 10 hours a week. You're an asset manager, you're not boots on the ground onsite, but you're kind of the onsite manager's boss, right? So you hire a part-time manager to handle the day-to-day and you oversee them remotely, but you're more involved. Key here is finding a great trustworthy manager though. And then finally, as we just talked about, the fully managed with oversight model is the most passive. 2 to 5 hours a week. Essentially, you got a third-party management, as we just discussed, and you're just trading a percentage of revenue for, for your time back. Right. These models work great for stabilized properties, but there's times when you simply need to be full-time. So let's take a look at those situations. So establish the part-time management is possible, but you got to be realistic about what the property needs. It's not always about what you would like. Right. So certain situations that just demand full-time attention. So if you buy a distressed property, for instance, something below 70% occupancy, you are in a turnaround lease-up scenario. Well, that's going to be 30 to 40 hours a week for 6 to 12 months before it's stabilized. So, you can't do that part-time. Major renovations or expansion demand daily oversight, not a part-time gig. Adding buildings or climate control means coordinating contractors and dealing with unexpected issues. So, again, you know, not a part-time gig. That's full-time. Until the project's complete, at least. So it can become part-time, but that's going to start full-time. So that's just the situational awareness you need to pay attention to. Grind up development, forget about it. Full-time job. Permitting, construction management, lease-up will easily be 40 hours a week for a year plus, maybe 18 months. So you need to— you need an honest assessment of your property's current state. Before you're choosing a management model or what you can even do. So, how can you move forward? Well, let's look at some action steps. So, now that we've covered the full spectrum of full-time operator owner to fully passive owner, let's take some action and choose your path. So, be first is be brutally honest about your available time. Have a have a a real reflective moment with yourself. If you can only commit five hours a week, I'm gonna. Call BS on that. Most people can commit 15 to 20 hours a week. There's a few of you, I get it, that can be 5, but then you need to be passive. But for those of you that can only do that, don't buy distressed property that needs 40 hours a week. But even if you need— if you only have 15 to 20 hours a week, don't buy distressed property that needs 40 unless you've got some other way to fulfill it or some partner that can handle that. You got to choose a model, a property that's going to fit your lifestyle, right? So for some of us, the goal is to create another job, but for others, it's to create another income stream or, you know, wealth management. That's maybe not to create more work. So choose a model and a property that's going to fit your lifestyle. Next, need you to research management software. Technology is what makes part-time ownership possible. So look into platforms like the Storable suite, which has SiteLink, Storage, ESS, or Tenant Inc. or Cubby are other options. Finally, if you're leaning towards third-party management, start interviewing companies now. Talk to 3 to 5 firms to compare their fees, their services, their track records. Don't just pick the cheapest one. That can come back to bite you. Choosing the right management model is the most critical decision you're going to make. So it's going to determine your profit, your stress level, your freedom. So, all right, tomorrow's day 12. We're going to cover occupancy rates, what's good versus what's great. All right, we're— we are almost a dozen days into this Storage 100 series. It's hard to believe. Hopefully you've hit like a few times or 11 times by now. You already know what to do with the subscribe button. That's for you. It's not for me. That's so you don't miss the recorded drops like this or when I go live and answer questions. And of course, sharing is caring. So remember, when you do, your friends and colleagues will thank you later.
