Getting Started Guide
Set up your self-storage facility in STORAGEsimple and start taking online rentals, automated payments, and gate-controlled move-ins.
Step 1: Configure Your Facility
The first thing STORAGEsimple needs is an accurate picture of your facility. Open Settings and complete your facility profile:
- Facility name, address, and contact information
- Timezone (this drives invoice dates, late fee timing, and gate schedules)
- Office hours and gate access hours
- Billing preferences: anniversary billing or first-of-month billing
- Tax rates for rent, merchandise, and fees where applicable
If you operate more than one location, add each facility separately. STORAGEsimple supports multi-location portfolios from a single login, so you can manage every site centrally while keeping rates, units, and gate systems specific to each property.
Everything here can be changed later, but getting the timezone and billing cycle right up front avoids confusing invoice dates for your first tenants.
Step 2: Set Up Your Units
Next, build your unit inventory. Each unit you create becomes rentable both at the counter and through online rentals:
- Unit number and physical location on the property
- Size (for example 10x10) and square footage
- Type: drive-up, interior, climate-controlled, parking, or locker
- Features such as power, first-floor access, or elevator access
- Standard street rate and any web-only rate
If you have many similar units, create them in batches by size and type, then adjust individual unit numbers. Group pricing by size category so rate changes apply consistently.
Once your inventory is loaded, your occupancy dashboard immediately reflects vacant, occupied, reserved, and overlocked units. The AI assistant and smart pricing tools also rely on this data, so accuracy here pays off everywhere else.
Step 3: Connect a Payment Processor
STORAGEsimple supports Authorize.net, Stripe, and NMI for card and ACH processing. To connect:
- Choose your processor under Settings, then Payments
- Enter your API credentials from the processor dashboard
- Run a test transaction to confirm the connection
- Set accepted payment methods: credit card, debit card, and ACH
- Decide whether to pass convenience fees to tenants where allowed
Once connected, tenants can pay online through the portal, enroll in autopay, and complete online rentals with a card on file. All transactions post to the built-in accounting ledger and sync to QuickBooks Online if you enable the integration. For full payment details, see Payment Processing.
Step 4: Enable Online Rentals
Online rentals let tenants find a unit, sign the agreement, and pay 24/7 without staff involvement. To turn them on:
- Enable online rentals in Settings and choose which unit types are listed
- Upload your rental agreement for e-signature
- Set move-in requirements: admin fee, first month rent, proration rules
- Offer tenant protection plans as part of the checkout flow
- Add the rental widget or link to your facility website
When a tenant completes an online rental, STORAGEsimple creates the tenant record, executes the agreement, charges the move-in total, and issues a gate code automatically. You will see the new move-in on your dashboard the moment it happens.
Step 5: Connect Your Gate
STORAGEsimple integrates with PTI access control so tenant gate access always matches account status:
- StorLogix Cloud systems connect directly through the PTI cloud API
- Falcon XT and F2000 controllers connect through the PTI BridgeApp
- Map your gate time zones and access levels to STORAGEsimple
- Test by creating a sample tenant and verifying the code at the keypad
After setup, move-ins get codes automatically, delinquent tenants are suspended on your schedule, and access is restored the moment a past-due balance is paid. See Gate Integration for the complete walkthrough.
Next Steps
With your facility configured, explore the rest of the platform: