Unmanned storage facility software lets tenants rent, pay and get in without anyone at the office, and lets you manage the site from your phone. Stitch Storage handles the software side: online rentals, autopay, gate codes with lockout, and lien tracking, for independent facilities of 30 to 300 units.
What an unmanned site needs
Four jobs used to belong to a person at a desk. Each needs a replacement.
| Job | Who did it | What replaces it |
|---|---|---|
| Show units and prices | Manager | Your facility website with live availability |
| Sign lease and take payment | Manager | Online rentals |
| Open the gate | Manager | Per-tenant gate codes |
| Chase late rent | Manager | Autopay, late fees, lockout and lien timeline |
A tenant's night-time rental
Say it is 9:40 p.m. Saturday and someone needs a 10x15.
- They find your Google listing and tap to your Stitch page.
- They pick a vacant unit and enter details and ID.
- They e-sign the lease on their phone.
- They pay by card or bank account. Stitch uses Stripe Elements, so card details go to Stripe and Stitch never stores them.
- They receive their gate code and drive in. Under five minutes on a phone.
You find out Sunday morning from a notification.
Keeping the money coming
Autopay bills each month. Cards confirm quickly. Bank (ACH) payments can take up to 4 business days to confirm or fail, per Stripe, so set your lockout rules with a few days of room. Stitch posts late fees on your schedule and logs them in the ledger.
Controlling the gate
Each tenant gets their own code. When rent is past due under your rules, the code turns off. When they pay, it turns back on. You can import access logs by CSV. Hardware support depends on your gate system, so ask us about your model before you commit. More in gate access.
Liens without a manager
Unmanned does not mean no legal process. Lien and auction management shows the steps for your state, records every notice and flags active-duty tenants before a sale. This is general information, not legal advice, so review your timeline with an attorney.
What it costs
Starter $39 a month (up to 50 units), Pro $99 a month (unlimited units), additional facility $59. 0.3% platform fee on rent processed. Say you have 80 units at $90: $7,200 collected, fee $21.60, Pro $99, total $120.60 a month. No contract, price locked. See pricing.
Checklist for choosing unmanned software
| Look for | Reason |
|---|---|
| Mobile rental flow | Most renters use a phone |
| Automatic lockout | Saves a drive to the site |
| Lien timeline by state | Delinquency still happens |
| Alerts you can act on | You are not on site |
| Export of your data | Keeps you free to leave |
Planned: AI front desk
We are testing an AI assistant for texts and chat. It ships only after passing a test suite, and it is not live. Details are on the AI front desk page. For site security and operations, read how to run an unmanned self storage facility.
Setting your unmanned rules
An unmanned site runs on rules, since there is nobody to make exceptions. Decide these before you open.
| Rule | Example setting |
|---|---|
| Due date | The 1st of the month |
| Grace period | 5 days |
| Late fee | A flat amount that your lease states |
| Lockout | Day 6, if rent is unpaid |
| Re-entry | Automatic after payment clears |
| Lien start | After the notice period your state sets |
Write them in the lease and on a sign at the gate. A gate code policy template can help. Clear rules mean fewer late-night calls.
Alerts and routines
Because you are not at the site, you depend on routine checks.
- Morning. Look at new rentals and any payment failures.
- Weekly. Open delinquency aging and the dashboard.
- Monthly. Compare occupancy and rent roll with last month, and walk or drive the site.
- Each quarter. Check locks, lights, cameras and signs.
Software shows you the money and the accounts. It cannot see a broken fence, so plan site visits.
Rural sites
Many unmanned sites are rural, with weak cell service and long drives. Online rentals and autopay matter most here, since they save the drive. Ask about your gate hardware and internet connection before you sign a hardware deal, and test the rental flow on a phone with a weak signal.
Who it suits
Stitch is a fit if you own 30 to 300 units, want one flat price, and need online rentals, autopay and gate lockout without staff. It is the wrong tool for a company with hundreds of sites. See the full self storage software page.