{"id":17051,"date":"2024-12-04T00:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/?p=17051"},"modified":"2026-03-17T02:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T09:58:33","slug":"reits-expand-to-own-a-third-of-the-self-storage-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/reits-expand-to-own-a-third-of-the-self-storage-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind The Roll-Up Doors: REITs Expand To Own A Third Of The Self Storage Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

What began as a modest family business in a small Texas town has, over the last 60 years, grown into a $20.53 billion industry<\/a>, boasting over 2 billion square feet of rentable space across the U.S.<\/a> With demand for space growing amid increasing urbanization trends, rising home prices and evolving storage needs, the self storage sector attracted the attention of institutional investors, gradually minimizing the gap between traditionally owned properties and real estate investment trusts (REITs).<\/p>\n

While much of the self storage inventory is still owned by local companies and small operators, self storage REITs are emerging as key players, bringing substantial benefits to consumers. By tapping into large capital reserves, REITs provide dependable, cost-effective storage options tailored to modern consumer needs.<\/p>\n

As of September 2024, there are nearly 2 billion rentable square feet of self storage space in the U.S. Of this, 30.5% is owned by REITs \u2014 amounting to roughly 593 million square feet across more than 8,400 properties. Nationwide, self storage per capita hovers around 7.3 square feet per person.<\/p>\n