San Diego Self Storage
San Diego Self Storage is a privately held, Carr-family-owned operator of 20 self-storage facilities across Southern California, offering standard, climate-controlled, and vehicle storage units on month-to-month leases to residential, business, student, military, and vehicle-owner customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What San Diego Self Storage does
San Diego Self Storage is a privately held, family-owned operator of a 20-facility self-storage network in Southern California, founded in 1972 and owned by the Carr family since 1991. Facilities span San Diego and Riverside Counties including San Diego, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Escondido, Murrieta, National City, Poway, San Marcos, Solana Beach, Spring Valley, and Temecula. The core offering is month-to-month rental of standard drive-up storage units in multiple sizes, supplemented by climate-controlled units for sensitive items and dedicated outdoor RV, boat, and auto storage at select sites.
Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly storage rent under month-to-month leases, with an optional $12/month Customer Protection Plan providing $2,500 in coverage, a $25 one-time administrative setup fee, on-site packing supplies, and a customer referral program offering $50/$75 credits. The 1st Year Price Guarantee locks the rental rate for the first twelve months. Pricing is discounted for active military, seniors, students (10%), businesses, and certified first responders.
Distribution combines the 20 physical facilities, a toll-free phone sales channel (800-615-5016), online rental and bill pay through the Storedge platform, and a free move-in truck with driver. Target segments are individual/residential renters (primary), small and mid-size businesses needing inventory or document storage, college students at UCSD/SDSU/USD/CSUSM (with campus pickup service), active-duty military and veterans, and owners of recreational vehicles, boats, and automobiles. The company has been voted San Diego's Best Storage Facility in the San Diego Union-Tribune Readers Poll for eleven consecutive years and was ranked the No. 1 self-storage operator in San Diego County by the San Diego Business Journal.
San Diego Self Storage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- San Diego Self Storage
- Legal name
- San Diego Self Storage
- Website
- https://sandiegoselfstorage.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- San Diego Self Storage is a privately held, Carr-family-owned operator of 20 self-storage facilities across Southern California, offering standard, climate-controlled, and vehicle storage units on month-to-month leases to residential, business, student, military, and vehicle-owner customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
San Diego Self Storage industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-Storage Services
- NAICS
- Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units (53113)
- SIC
- Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Standard/Non-Climate Self-Storage (HSAKAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Climate-Controlled Self-Storage (HSAKAGAA), Vehicle & RV/Boat Self-Storage (HSAKAGAC)
Keywords
Where San Diego Self Storage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices19 records
Markets served
San Diego Self Storage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Storage Unit Rentals: Monthly rental fees from storage unit rentals with month-to-month lease terms. Revenue generated from a variety of unit sizes and specialty storage options including climate-controlled units and vehicle storage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Storage Units |
| Subscription | Monthly | Discounted Rates for Eligible Groups |
| Subscription | Monthly | Customer Protection Plan |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Account Set-up Fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
San Diego Self Storage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
San Diego Self Storage rents self-storage units across 20 owned facilities in Southern California (San Diego and Riverside Counties) under month-to-month leases with a 1st Year Price Guarantee. The core offer spans standard drive-up units in multiple sizes, climate-controlled units, outdoor vehicle storage (RVs, boats, autos), student storage with campus pickup, and ancillary paid services including a Customer Protection Plan ($12/month) and on-site packing supplies.
Product overview
San Diego Self Storage operates as a network of 20 self-storage facilities across Southern California, providing clean, secure, and affordable storage solutions. The core product is standard self-storage unit rental available in various sizes with drive-up access and month-to-month flexibility, complemented by specialty offerings including climate-controlled units for sensitive items, RV/boat/auto vehicle storage, and student storage with campus pickup services. Additional value-add services include a 1st Year Price Guarantee, free move-in truck assistance, packing supplies, customer protection plans, and discount programs for military, seniors, students, businesses, and first responders. The company also provides online bill payment through the Storedge platform and a customer referral program. All 20 facilities operate under a unified brand while maintaining individual identities such as Carlsbad Self Storage, Sorrento Valley Self Storage, San Marcos Mini Storage, and Butterfield Ranch Self Storage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Standard Storage Units Standard drive-up self-storage units offered in multiple sizes with well-lit corridors and easy-navigation driveways, rented on month-to-month terms to individuals and small businesses across the 20 Southern California facilities.
- Climate-Controlled Storage Units Specialty indoor storage units with sealed doors and roofs that maintain a steady temperature range, for customers storing sensitive or valuable items such as electronics, documents, wood furniture, and artwork. Available at select facilities.
- RV, Boat & Auto Vehicle Storage Designated outdoor storage spaces sized for recreational vehicles, boats, classic cars, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles at select Southern California facilities, available on month-to-month leases for individual vehicle owners.
- Student Storage with Campus Pickup Short-term storage service targeted at college students at UCSD, SDSU, USD, and CSUSM, offering 10% student discount, month-to-month leases, and a coordinated campus pickup service to transport belongings from campus to a San Diego Self Storage facility.
- Customer Protection Plan Optional protection plan providing $2,500 in coverage for $12 per month with no deductible and fast claim service, sold alongside storage unit rentals as a paid add-on.
- Free Move-In Truck with Driver Complimentary moving truck with driver available at all 20 San Diego Self Storage facilities to help customers transport belongings to their newly rented storage unit.
- Packing & Moving Supplies On-site retail availability of packing and moving supplies including boxes, tape, bubble wrap, locks with lifetime warranty, and mattress cover bags at San Diego Self Storage facilities.
- 20 Southern California Storage Facility Locations Twenty wholly owned, neighborhood-branded self-storage facilities operated in San Diego and Riverside Counties, including Carlsbad Self Storage, Sorrento Valley Self Storage, San Marcos Mini Storage, Butterfield Ranch Self Storage, and others, providing the physical footprint for storage unit rentals.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40%+ of new renters come from customer referrals
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use San Diego Self Storage
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
San Diego Self Storage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
San Diego Self Storage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- San Diego Blood BankcoreSan Diego Self Storage partnered with San Diego Blood Bank to match all donations dollar-to-dollar up to $70,000 to help fund a new bloodmobile for the organization. The Carr family, co-owners of San Diego Self Storage, began making annual holiday donations to the San Diego Blood Bank when they relocated to San Diego in 1991.
- WalmartminorWalmart partnered with San Diego Self Storage for the Toys for Tots toy drive, providing drive-up donation drop-off locations at three local Walmart stores in Clairemont, Oceanside, and Chula Vista.
- U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots ProgramcoreSan Diego Self Storage has maintained a 20+ year partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The company organizes annual toy donation drives with multiple collection sites and creative donation options including drive-up drops, online registries, and direct shipping.
- San Diego Food BankcoreSan Diego Self Storage conducts an annual San Diego Food Bank holiday drive, donating food and funds to support the organization's mission of feeding San Diego County residents in need.
- San Diego Police Department's K-9 UnitminorSan Diego Self Storage has funded police service dogs for the San Diego Police Department's K-9 Unit as part of their community giving program.
- San Diego Gulls FoundationminorSan Diego Self Storage supports the San Diego Gulls Foundation through charitable donations as part of their community giving program.
- Connor's CauseminorSan Diego Self Storage supports Connor's Cause through charitable donations as part of their community giving program.
- Big Brothers & Big Sisters ProgramminorSan Diego Self Storage supports the Big Brothers & Big Sisters Program through charitable donations as part of their community giving program.
- Doors of ChangeminorSan Diego Self Storage partners with Doors of Change, a local nonprofit organization, as part of their community outreach efforts.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
San Diego Self Storage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Life Storage: Large self-storage operator (now under Extra Space) with established California locations. Provides a benchmark for operational scale, technology adoption, and customer acquisition costs that pressure regional operators like SDSS.
- CubeSmart: Major self-storage REIT operating hundreds of facilities including California locations. Offers the same storage-unit product categories as SDSS plus strong digital leasing platforms and national marketing — a benchmark for what SDSS competes against at the technology layer.
- Extra Space Storage: Second-largest U.S. self-storage REIT with significant Southern California presence after acquiring Life Storage. Same core business — self-storage unit rentals, climate-controlled and vehicle options — with sophisticated dynamic-pricing that competes against SDSS's static 1st Year Price Guarantee.
- Public Storage: The largest U.S. self-storage REIT with thousands of facilities including dense San Diego-area coverage. Directly comparable product offering (standard, climate-controlled, vehicle storage) and competes with SDSS on price and digital marketing, but at vastly larger scale.
Direct peers
- STORQUEST Self Storage: Privately held self-storage operator with a growing network of facilities across California and the Western U.S. Comparable size and product mix (standard, climate-controlled, vehicle storage), positioned as a regional consolidator similar to SDSS.
- SmartStop Self Storage: Multi-state self-storage operator with branded facilities in Southern California — including the 'Smart Self Storage' branding that overlaps with SDSS subsidiaries like 'Smart Self Storage of Eastlake' and 'Smart Self Storage of Solana Beach'. Closest mid-size regional peer in footprint and product.
- Sentinel Self Storage: Independent California self-storage operator with multiple locations including Southern California. Competes head-to-head with SDSS on standardized pricing, climate-controlled units, and customer service in overlapping submarkets.
- Allsize Storage: Mid-size Southern California self-storage operator with facilities across the Inland Empire and San Diego region. Highly comparable to SDSS in footprint, unit-mix, and target customer (residential and small-business).
Others
- Worth Insurance (Storage Insurance Specialists): Provider of tenant-storage insurance products similar to SDSS's Customer Protection Plan. Not a direct competitor but a benchmark and potential partner/vendor for the ancillary insurance product stream that contributes to SDSS revenue per tenant.
Regional players
- StoragePRO: California-focused self-storage operator (Northern and Southern California). Similar neighborhood-facility positioning, comparable size and customer-base focus on residential and small-business storage in coastal California metros.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
San Diego Self Storage social profiles
Digital presenceSan Diego Self Storage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
San Diego Self Storage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
San Diego Self Storage subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries18 records
San Diego Self Storage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
San Diego Self Storage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about San Diego Self Storage
What does San Diego Self Storage do?
San Diego Self Storage rents self-storage units across 20 owned facilities in Southern California (San Diego and Riverside Counties) under month-to-month leases with a 1st Year Price Guarantee. The core offer spans standard drive-up units in multiple sizes, climate-controlled units, outdoor vehicle storage (RVs, boats, autos), student storage with campus pickup, and ancillary paid services including a Customer Protection Plan ($12/month) and on-site packing supplies.
Is San Diego Self Storage a public or private company?
San Diego Self Storage is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was San Diego Self Storage founded?
San Diego Self Storage was founded in 1972. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is San Diego Self Storage based?
San Diego Self Storage is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does San Diego Self Storage make money?
One revenue line is on record: storage Unit Rentals.
Who are San Diego Self Storage's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Life Storage, CubeSmart, Extra Space Storage and Public Storage. Direct peers are STORQUEST Self Storage, SmartStop Self Storage, Sentinel Self Storage and Allsize Storage. Worth Insurance (Storage Insurance Specialists) is listed as an others. StoragePRO is listed as a regional player.
Does San Diego Self Storage have an API?
No public API is recorded for San Diego Self Storage.
What industry is San Diego Self Storage in?
San Diego Self Storage's product category is Self-Storage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKAGAB, Standard/Non-Climate Self-Storage, with a secondary code of HSAKAGAA, Climate-Controlled Self-Storage. Its NAICS code is 53113 and its SIC code is 4220.