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

The liability nightmare you create with a wash station

6 May 2026 · 1 min

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0:37

In this segment, the speaker highlights the liability risks that arise when a tenant uses a provided boat wash station and damages their vessel—examples include a scrub brush scratching a gel‑coat finish or an overly aggressive pressure‑washer setting harming a canvas cover. Because the equipment was supplied by the property owner, disputes over responsibility for costly damage become problematic. The speaker proposes a simple solution: offering a rinse‑only station that supplies only water, leaving the tenant to use their own hose and techniques on their own asset, thereby eliminating the owner’s exposure to liability.

Chapters

And then third, liability exposure. When a tenant uses your wash station equipment and damages their boat, maybe a scrub brush that scratches a gel coat finish, a pressure washer setting that's too aggressive for a canvas cover, you're in a difficult position. You provided the equipment, the tenant used it on a $100,000 asset. The conversation about who's responsible for the damage is not really one you want to have. A rinse station with water only essentially eliminates this exposure. The tenant uses their own hose technique on their own asset. You provided the water. That's a much cleaner liability position.