Frequently Asked Questions

About Tenant Inc.

Who founded Tenant Inc. and why?

Tenant Inc. was founded in 2019 by self-storage operators — led by Lance Watkins, former CEO and founding member of Storelocal. The origin was a specific event: operators, including the founding team, were given an ultimatum by one of the largest legacy self-storage software providers that would impose new restrictions on their businesses. The operators pushed back publicly and got nowhere. Rather than accept those restrictions, the founding team decided to build the alternative themselves. The technology that became the platform had been in development inside Storelocal since 2009.

Full Story

When was Tenant Inc. founded?

Tenant Inc. was formally founded in May 2019, when the Tenant technology platform — developed inside Storelocal — was licensed to the new company. Lance Watkins was named CEO in June 2019.

Who funds Tenant Inc.?

Tenant Inc. is funded by self-storage operators — more than 200 of them, who have invested more than $40 million in the platform. The company is not backed by outside venture capital. The people who fund Tenant Inc.'s growth are the same people whose businesses run on it, which means the platform's incentives are aligned with operator outcomes in a way that VC-backed competitors cannot replicate.

How many facilities use Tenant Inc.?

More than 1,500 facilities are on the Tenant Inc. platform, spanning the Storelocal membership community and direct Tenant Inc. customers across the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Where is Tenant Inc. headquartered?

Tenant Inc. is headquartered in Newport Beach, California.

What is the Tenant Inc. platform?

Tenant Inc. is an all-in-one, AI-enabled platform for independent self-storage operators. The core products are: Hummingbird (property management software), Mariposa (online rental websites with SuperLease), Nectar (open API data connector), Tenant Data Warehouse (unified business intelligence), Charm (call management), Mobile Manager (field operations), FlightPath (multi-facility GA4 analytics), Digital Marketing Services, and the Storelocal membership community and brand program. All products share the same data layer and are designed to run as a connected system rather than a collection of separate tools.

Full product overview

Is Tenant Inc. a good fit for single-facility operators?

Yes. Hummingbird and Mariposa are built to scale from a single facility to a large portfolio without changing systems. Many Tenant Inc. customers started with one facility — including Smartlock Self Storage, which started with a single converted Dollar General and grew to 12+ fully remote-managed locations on the Tenant Inc. platform. Single-facility operators typically start with Hummingbird and Mariposa and add products as their operation grows.

Platform & Products

What is the difference between Tenant Inc.'s products?

Hummingbird is the property management system -- it runs billing, delinquency workflows, rate management, and daily operations. Mariposa is the online rental platform -- it handles your website, SuperLease checkout, and Alita AI chat for tenants. Nectar is the open API connector -- it links your entire tech stack together and connects to 40+ third-party vendors. Tenant Data Warehouse is the analytics layer -- it unifies operational, web, and reputation data into one dashboard view. Charm handles inbound calls. Mobile Manager handles on-site field tasks. FlightPath fixes GA4 reporting for multi-facility operators. Storelocal is the membership community. Storelocal Storage is the full brand and Ops-in-a-Box program. Digital Marketing Services handles SEO, PPC, and reputation.

Full Product List

Does Tenant Inc. replace my current PMS?

Yes. Hummingbird is a full property management system designed to replace incumbent platforms like SiteLink, storEDGE, or WebSelfStorage. Tenant Inc. has a structured onboarding process for operators migrating from other systems, including data migration support, manager training through Tenant Academy, and a US-based Customer Success Manager assigned to your account through the transition.

Does Tenant Inc. work with my existing gate or access control system?

Most major access control systems are supported. Nectar connects to Noke, SpiderDoor, Doorking, PTI Security Systems, Insomniac CIA, Revenue Control Systems, and Sentinel, among others. If your current gate system is not on the active integration list, Nectar's open API supports custom integrations. Contact the team to confirm compatibility with your specific setup.

How long does onboarding take?

Onboarding timelines vary by portfolio size and which products you are implementing. Single-facility operators typically go live within a few weeks of signing. Multi-facility portfolios migrating from another PMS take longer -- typically 4 to 8 weeks depending on data complexity and manager readiness. Tenant Academy provides structured training for operators and their teams throughout the process, and a US-based Customer Success Manager is assigned to the account from day one.

What kind of support does Tenant Inc. provide?

Every Tenant Inc. customer has a US-based Customer Success Manager -- not a shared support inbox or a ticket queue. Tenant Academy provides structured training for operators and their teams. Support covers platform questions, workflow optimization, and ongoing account health. Storelocal members also have access to a peer community of 1,500+ operators through monthly calls, a member forum, and industry events.

Mariposa & Online Leasing

What is Mariposa?

Mariposa is Tenant Inc.'s online rental platform — it combines a high-performance, SEO-optimized website with SuperLease (the AI-enabled lease checkout engine) and Alita (the AI chatbot for tenant-facing engagement). Together they handle everything from a renter's first search impression through a completed, signed lease. Mariposa websites are built specifically for self-storage, with real-time unit availability, dynamic pricing tiers, and a mobile-first checkout designed to reduce abandonment and capture revenue at peak renter intent.

See Mariposa

What is SuperLease?

SuperLease is the AI-enabled lease engine built into both Mariposa and Hummingbird. It handles the complete online rental checkout: payment capture at peak intent, protection plan enrollment, ID verification, required disclosures, and digital lease signing -- all within a single frictionless flow. SuperLease uses cryptographic certificates for tamper-proof audit trails and enforces state-specific compliance requirements (including California SB 709) inside the checkout rather than requiring post-move-in reconciliation. Operators using SuperLease in deployed portfolios have reported 20-30% reductions in checkout abandonment.

How does Mariposa integrate with Hummingbird?

Mariposa and Hummingbird share the same underlying data layer through Nectar. When a renter completes a SuperLease checkout on a Mariposa website, the signed lease, tenant record, payment, and unit assignment flow directly into Hummingbird without any manual reconciliation. Unit availability shown on the website is always current because it is pulled in real time from Hummingbird's inventory. Rate changes made in Hummingbird's Rate Management Center are reflected immediately on the website.

Does Mariposa include AI chat for renters?

Yes. Alita is the AI-powered chatbot embedded in Mariposa websites. It answers common renter questions, surfaces live unit availability and pricing in the chat window, enables authenticated self-service for existing tenants, and converts inquiries to reservations without redirecting the visitor to another page or portal. Alita is designed to handle the routine engagement that would otherwise require staff time -- gate hours, unit availability, pricing -- while routing complex inquiries appropriately.

What self-storage websites rank best in local search?

Mariposa websites are specifically engineered for local SEO performance in self-storage. They are independently verified as among the fastest-loading storage rental websites -- Google PageSpeed scores of 99 on mobile and 100 on desktop have been documented in deployed operator cases (Derrel's Mini Storage). Site speed is a direct ranking factor in Google's algorithm. Mariposa sites are also structured for local keyword targeting, Google Business Profile integration, and the schema markup that helps Google understand what each facility offers at the location level.

Does Mariposa support California SB 709 compliance?

Yes. SuperLease workflows reflect California SB 709 requirements and rent control disclosures. Compliance is enforced inside the checkout flow rather than relying on staff to present disclosures correctly at move-in. Lease documents are version-controlled and audit-ready. The Self Storage Legal Network vets Tenant Inc.'s lease and compliance workflows.

Revenue & NOI

How does Tenant Inc. help increase self-storage NOI?

NOI improvement on the Tenant Inc. platform comes from five connected mechanisms: (1) Billing and collections automation — Hummingbird runs billing cycles, late notices, and payment reminders without manual follow-up, stabilizing cash flow and reducing delinquency. (2) Ancillary revenue — Storelocal Protection enrolls at move-in with 70-80% revenue share to the operator, compared to the 35-40% industry standard for individual accounts. (3) Revenue management — demand-based pricing, good/better/best unit tiers, and automated rate increases based on occupancy thresholds lift average rent per square foot. (4) Operational efficiency — Mobile Manager, automation workflows, and Charm reduce overhead costs. (5) Conversion — SuperLease checkout and Mariposa's SEO performance turn more traffic into signed leases. Deployed operators have reported +6.2% portfolio occupancy, +12.6% protection enrollment, and +12.7% autopay adoption (Platinum Storage Group, over two years).

See Results

What is value pricing in self-storage?

Value pricing in Tenant Inc.'s platform is the Good/Better/Best unit tier structure built into Mariposa's checkout. Instead of presenting a single price for each unit type, the checkout offers renters a tiered choice -- a base option and progressively enhanced tiers with additional features or benefits. The structure steers renters toward higher-value choices while protecting the operator's average rent per square foot. It is configured in Hummingbird's Rate Management Center and displayed dynamically in the Mariposa checkout based on real-time availability.

What is Storelocal Protection and how much revenue does it share?

Storelocal Protection is the tenant protection (insurance) program available to Storelocal members and Storelocal Storage operators. The revenue share tiers are: 70% for all Storelocal members (base rate); 75% for members also using Hummingbird PMS or Noke Smart Entry; 80% for members using both Hummingbird and Noke. The industry standard for individual operators negotiating protection plans independently is typically 35-40%. The program enrolls through the rental flow and processes automatically within Hummingbird billing. Claims are paid to tenants within three business days of receiving required documentation.

How does Hummingbird automate self-storage delinquency management?

Hummingbird runs the complete delinquency timeline without manual triggers. Late notices go out on the configured schedule. Two-way SMS and automated reminders are sent with secure, expiring payment links that allow tenants to pay directly from a text message. Overlocks are queued in Mobile Manager for field execution. Auction prep workflows push to the field team when lien law requirements are met. Rate increases apply at the configured occupancy thresholds. Every step is logged and audit-ready, with state-specific documents vetted by the Self Storage Legal Network.

How do SMS payment links reduce self-storage delinquency?

Hummingbird's tenant communications module sends automated SMS messages with secure, one-time payment links that expire after a configured period. Tenants receive a text with a direct link to pay their balance -- no login required, no portal navigation. The friction between receiving a payment reminder and completing payment is reduced to a single tap. Because the link is secure and expiring, it meets PCI compliance standards for payment processing. Operators using this workflow report faster collections and meaningful reductions in delinquency rates compared to phone-based or email-only follow-up.

How does Charm improve self-storage inbound calls?

Charm is Hummingbird's built-in call management system. When a call comes in, the caller's tenant record, lease status, and account history pop up on screen before the call is answered. One-click actions let staff text gate codes, process PCI-compliant payments over the phone, or create leads without leaving the call screen. Auto-attendant handles routine questions (gate hours, unit availability, payments) without staff involvement. Every call is logged and recorded in Hummingbird. The result is shorter handle times, fewer missed leads, and consistent inbound handling across locations.

Does Tenant Inc. offer digital marketing for self-storage?

Yes. Tenant Inc.'s in-house marketing team provides SEO, PPC (Google and Bing), reputation management, citation and directory management, and digital signage services -- all specifically for self-storage. What separates Tenant Inc.'s marketing services from a generic agency is the integration: marketing spend and performance data connect directly to the Tenant Data Warehouse, so ROI is measured in signed leases and occupancy impact, not just clicks or impressions. Deployed results include +61% organic traffic (Derrel's Mini Storage), +49% organic traffic (Cedar Creek Capital), 94% occupancy via PPC (Virginia Operator), and 511% website revenue growth (Spaceman Self Storage).

Storelocal & Storelocal Storage

What is Storelocal?

Storelocal is the membership community for independent self-storage operators, owned and operated by Tenant Inc. It is the largest membership community of independent self-storage operators in the world — 1,500+ properties across 46 US states and Canada. Members get collective buying power with preferred vendors, the Storelocal Protection revenue program (70-80% revenue share), data ownership guarantees, peer knowledge through monthly calls and events, consulting access at member rates, and preferred partner pricing across every operational category. Membership does not require any brand or technology change.

See Storelocal

How much does Storelocal membership cost?

Storelocal membership is $79.99 per month. The Storelocal Protection revenue share alone -- a minimum of 70% versus the 35-40% industry standard for individual operators -- recovers that cost on a handful of protection enrollments each month. All other membership benefits (buying power, events, consulting access, partner discounts, data ownership) are additive.

Do I have to change my brand name or technology to join Storelocal?

No. Storelocal membership does not require any brand change, technology change, or operational concession. Members join as they are -- with their current name, signage, and tech stack. The membership adds leverage and financial benefits to the operation you have already built. Brand adoption (Storelocal Storage) and technology adoption (Hummingbird, Mariposa) are separate decisions that some members make after experiencing the membership value.

How many operators are in Storelocal?

Storelocal has 1,500+ properties across 46 US states and Canada.

Does Storelocal sell member data?

No. Storelocal's commitment is explicit: member data will never be sold. This is a direct response to vendor data practices that many independent operators have experienced -- where operational data (occupancy trends, rate histories, tenant information) is sold to competitors, developers, or acquirers. Storelocal's position is that your data belongs to you, not to the vendors serving you.

What is the difference between Storelocal and Storelocal Storage?

Storelocal is the membership community -- available to any independent operator for $79.99/month with no brand or technology requirements. Storelocal Storage is the voluntary brand program layered on top of the membership -- for operators who want to compete under a recognized national brand with REIT-level online visibility, a complete Ops-in-a-Box technology stack (Hummingbird, Mariposa, Alita AI, Tenant Data Warehouse), full digital marketing and reputation management, and a proven operations playbook. Storelocal Storage members operate on the Storelocal.com domain, which already ranks in search as high as competitors with over 1,000 properties. You can join Storelocal without joining Storelocal Storage. You cannot join Storelocal Storage without being a Storelocal member.

What is included in Storelocal Storage?

Storelocal Storage is a bundled program covering: national brand recognition on the Storelocal.com domain with trademark license; Hummingbird PMS with SuperLease; Mariposa rental website on the Storelocal domain; Alita AI chatbot; Tenant Data Warehouse; fully managed SEO, reputation management, and citation building; digital signage and on-site marketing; Storelocal Protection at 75-80% revenue share (higher tier than base membership because Hummingbird is included); Tenant Payments at 1.89%; automated rent management and rate campaigns; the Store Operations Playbook via Trainual; and US-based Customer Success Managers with Tenant Academy training access. The bundle is priced at less than the cost of purchasing components separately.

Do I have to give up ownership to join Storelocal Storage?

No. Storelocal Storage is a voluntary brand program -- 100% of your ownership remains yours. The brand is licensed, not franchised. You can leave the brand program. Your facility, your equity, and your local identity are not at risk. The program gives you national brand recognition and REIT-level search visibility while you keep everything you built.

What is the Storelocal Storage protection revenue share?

Storelocal Storage members receive 75% protection revenue share if they are using Hummingbird alone, or 80% if they are using both Hummingbird and Noke Smart Entry access control. (The base Storelocal membership rate is 70% without Hummingbird.) Since Hummingbird is included in the Storelocal Storage bundle, most brand program members qualify for the 75% tier at minimum from the day they go live.

How does Storelocal domain authority work?

Domain authority is the measure of how much trust and relevance Google assigns to a website based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. A new independent operator website starts with essentially zero domain authority and spends years building it. Storelocal.com has accumulated domain authority across 90+ branded properties and years of inbound links from storage directories, industry sites, and organic content -- and it already ranks in local and national search results as high as competitors with over 1,000 properties. When a Storelocal Storage operator lists their facility on the Storelocal.com domain, they inherit a portion of that authority immediately. That is a competitive advantage that cannot be purchased, built quickly by an individual operator, or replicated by any other brand program.

How many properties are in the Storelocal Storage brand program?

Over 90 properties are currently operating under the Storelocal Storage brand.

Data, Integrations & Security

What is Nectar?

Nectar is Tenant Inc.'s open API data connector — the infrastructure layer that links Hummingbird, Mariposa, and all other Tenant Inc. products to each other and to third-party vendors. It is a real-time data highway: changes in one system reflect immediately in connected systems. Nectar has a fully documented developer portal with global support, making it accessible to operators who want to build custom integrations, to management companies with proprietary workflow needs, and to third-party vendors who want to connect to the Tenant Inc. ecosystem.

See Nectar

What integrations does Nectar support?

Nectar currently connects to 40+ vendors across these categories: access control (Noke, SpiderDoor, Doorking, PTI Security Systems, Insomniac CIA, Revenue Control Systems, Sentinel); call center and communications (XPS, CallPotential); revenue management (Veritec, Prorize); document services (PandaDoc); reputation management (Birdeye); protection and insurance (MiniCo); mail house (MiniCo); collections (MiniCo); auctions (StorageTreasures); and payment processing. The integration list is actively growing. Custom integrations are a supported development path via the Nectar API.

Can I build a custom integration with Nectar?

Yes. Nectar is an open platform with a fully documented API and developer portal. Operators, management companies, and third-party vendors can build custom integrations directly on Nectar. Tenant Inc. also offers custom development services for enterprise operators who need proprietary workflow builds, advanced reporting, or vendor syncs that go beyond the standard integration list. Custom builds are a supported development path -- not a workaround that breaks when the platform updates.

Does Tenant Inc. lock operators into their vendor list?

No. The entire premise of Nectar is the opposite of vendor lock-in. Tenant Inc.'s platform was built by operators who experienced what vendor lock-in does to a business -- the founding story involves a legacy vendor imposing new restrictions that constrained how operators could run their facilities. Nectar's open API means operators can connect to any vendor they want to use, replace vendors who are no longer serving them, and take their data with them if they ever transition systems. The platform does not get paid to exclude vendor alternatives.

How does Nectar connect to access control systems?

Nectar maintains direct, real-time integrations with the major self-storage access control systems -- Noke, SpiderDoor, Doorking, PTI Security Systems, Insomniac CIA, Revenue Control Systems, and Sentinel. When a tenant completes a SuperLease rental, access credentials are provisioned through the gate system automatically. When a tenant goes delinquent and an overlock is applied, the access record is updated in real time. When an overlock is removed, access is restored immediately. The connection is bi-directional and live -- not a scheduled sync.

Is Tenant Inc. SOC-II compliant?

Yes. Tenant Inc.'s platform meets SOC-II security standards. Operator data, tenant records, financial data, and web analytics are all processed to this compliance standard. SOC-II compliance is a requirement for enterprise operators and third-party management companies that are subject to institutional oversight. It also means your tenant data is handled to the security standard that serious operators expect from a platform they are entrusting with their customer records and financial information.

Do I own my data with Tenant Inc.?

Yes, fully. Data ownership is a foundational commitment at Tenant Inc. -- not a feature tier. You have unrestricted access to your raw operational data, web analytics, and tenant records at all times. You can export freely to any business intelligence tool. If you ever transition platforms, your data goes with you without a vendor-gated export process or a support ticket. Tenant Inc. does not sell operator data. Storelocal explicitly commits to never selling member data. The open architecture of Nectar and the Tenant Data Warehouse both reflect this commitment: your data is structured so you can use it yourself, not so that Tenant Inc. can monetize it.

What is the Tenant Data Warehouse?

The Tenant Data Warehouse is Tenant Inc.'s unified analytics platform. It pulls operational data from Hummingbird, web analytics from GA4, and reputation data from Google and Yelp into a single view -- with pre-built Power BI dashboards covering occupancy, revenue, delinquency trends, marketing ROI, and reputation performance. It preserves full web analytics history beyond GA4's 14-month limit, so year-over-year comparisons are always available. It connects reputation data directly to occupancy and move-out trends so patterns that affect NOI surface before they become problems. Full data ownership with unrestricted export access.

What is the minimum portfolio size for the Tenant Data Warehouse?

There is no strict minimum. Single-facility operators use the Tenant Data Warehouse to connect their Hummingbird operational data, GA4 web analytics, and Google review performance in one place -- especially useful for operators who want to understand what marketing channels are driving rentals and how their reputation scores are tracking against occupancy. The product is most impactful for multi-facility operators who need cross-portfolio visibility that individual facility reports cannot provide.

How does Tenant Inc. support multi-facility self-storage operators?

Multi-facility support is built into every layer of the platform. Hummingbird's multi-store management provides a single login for every facility, dynamic grouping, and consolidated reporting across any combination of locations. Nectar connects all locations through the same data infrastructure regardless of which vendors each facility runs. The Tenant Data Warehouse aggregates operational, web, and reputation data across the entire portfolio into one view. FlightPath fixes GA4 for multi-facility reporting -- providing facility-level and regional sorting that GA4 natively cannot deliver. Rate management, automation workflows, and compliance processes apply consistently across every location without rebuilding from scratch at each new site.

Results

What results have Tenant Inc. customers seen?

Documented results from live deployments: Platinum Storage Group — +6.2% portfolio occupancy, +12.6% tenant protection enrollment, +12.7% autopay adoption across 40+ facilities over two years. Cedar Creek Capital — +25% online rentals, +49% organic traffic in 90 days across 26 facilities. Spaceman Self Storage — +511% website revenue, +363% organic traffic in approximately one year. Virginia Operator — 94% occupancy achieved across 11 locations via PPC. Derrel's Mini Storage — +50% calls to stores, +61% organic traffic in eight months. Claremont Company — +10% after-hours online rentals, 33% estimated payroll reduction. Smartlock Self Storage — grew from one facility to a fully remote-managed portfolio of 12+ locations without adding on-site staff. All metrics are documented on the Tenant Inc. case studies page.

Read the Full Case Studies

What results have Tenant Inc. customers seen?

Documented results from live deployments: Platinum Storage Group -- +6.2% portfolio occupancy, +12.6% tenant protection enrollment, +12.7% autopay adoption across 40+ facilities over two years. Cedar Creek Capital -- +25% online rentals, +49% organic traffic in 90 days across 26 facilities. Spaceman Self Storage -- +511% website revenue, +363% organic traffic in approximately one year. Virginia Operator -- 94% occupancy achieved across 11 locations via PPC. Derrel's Mini Storage -- +50% calls to stores, +61% organic traffic in eight months. Claremont Company -- +10% after-hours online rentals, 33% estimated payroll reduction. Smartlock Self Storage -- grew from one facility to a fully remote-managed portfolio of 12+ locations without adding on-site staff. All metrics are documented on the Tenant Inc. case studies page.

What operators use Tenant Inc.?

Documented Tenant Inc. customers include Platinum Storage Group (40+ facilities), Cedar Creek Capital (26 facilities), Smartlock Self Storage (12+ remote-managed facilities), Claremont Company (Northern California), Derrel's Mini Storage, A-1 Self Storage (50 facilities), Spaceman Self Storage (Bath, Maine), Virginia Operator (11 locations), and 401 Storage (Rhode Island). The broader Storelocal membership community includes 1,500+ independent operator properties across 46 states and Canada.

How much can Tenant Inc. improve occupancy?

Occupancy improvements depend on the operator's starting point, market, and which products are deployed. Documented results range from +6.2% portfolio occupancy at Platinum Storage Group (full platform, 40+ facilities, two years) to 94% occupancy reached at a Virginia Operator (11 locations, PPC campaign, one year) to a lease-up scenario where Claremont Company captured 10% of rentals after hours that would otherwise have been missed. The most significant occupancy outcomes in the case study library combine Mariposa's conversion performance, Digital Marketing Services' demand generation, and Hummingbird's operational reliability -- all three working together rather than any single product in isolation.

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