Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

The critical line between recommend and require

7 May 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:32

In this episode, the presenter explains the crucial distinction between what property operators or managers can legally require of tenants and what they can only recommend. He illustrates the point with a fall move‑in scenario: a tenant arrives with a boat that has not been properly winterized. The presenter warns that if the boat freezes, it can suffer serious damage such as a cracked engine block, frozen water lines, or a degraded hull. The segment emphasizes that most operators overlook these operational and legal boundaries until a problem occurs, and stresses the need to understand and define the line between recommendation and requirement to avoid liability and property damage.

But let's get into today's episode because the— this distinction between what you can and can't do or can and shouldn't do matters operationally and legally. And most operators don't think about it until something goes wrong. Here's the scenario. It's October, fall move-in season's underway. Tenant pulls in with a boat that hasn't been properly winterized. You know that if it freezes before they deal with it, there's a risk of damage— cracked engine block, frozen water lines, degraded hull.