Original research

The RV Storage Rent-Hike Index: reviews mentioning a rate increase are 6 times as common as in 2020

We searched 205,399 Google reviews of RV, boat and vehicle storage facilities for rent and rate increases. In 2020, 0.3% of the year's reviews mentioned one. In 2026 the share is 1.8%, six times as high, and among one- and two-star reviews a rate hike now comes up in one in three.

By the RV Storage Rates research desk · Published October 25, 2026

Key findings

  • Six times as common as in 2020. 0.3% of 2020's storage reviews mentioned a rate increase (18 of 5,925). In 2026 it is 1.8% (1,936 of 106,112).
  • The rise has been steady since 2021. The share went from 0.7% in 2021 to 1.1% in 2022 and 2023, 1.4% in 2024 and 1.6% in 2025.
  • In bad reviews it is now one in three. Rate increases appear in 32.9% of 2026's one- and two-star reviews, up from 5.3% in 2020.
  • New England and the mid-Atlantic lead. New Hampshire (3.9%), Rhode Island (3.7%), Connecticut and New York (2.7% each) have the highest shares among states with 300+ reviews.
  • Overall, 1.5% of storage reviews mention a rate increase, against 1.6% that mention theft and 1.5% that mention rodents.

The index, year by year

The index is the share of each year's storage reviews that mention a rent or rate going up: phrases like "raised the rent", "rate increase", "price hike" or "prices keep going up". It counts reviews of any star rating, so it also picks up customers who mention a raise but stay happy.

Share of storage reviews mentioning a rate increase, by year2016: 0.5%; 2017: 0.5%; 2018: 0.5%; 2019: 0.4%; 2020: 0.3%; 2021: 0.7%; 2022: 1.1%; 2023: 1.1%; 2024: 1.4%; 2025: 1.6%; 2026: 1.8%0.5%20160.5%20170.5%20180.4%20190.3%20200.7%20211.1%20221.1%20231.4%20241.6%20251.8%2026
Reviews per year grow from 1,256 in 2016 to 106,112 in 2026 (through October), so recent years are far more precise.

Before 2021 the share sat between 0.3% and 0.5%. It more than doubled in 2021, passed 1% in 2022 and has climbed each year from 2023 to 2026. The number of reviews per year also grew sharply, from 5,925 in 2020 to 106,112 in 2026, which makes the recent figures much more reliable than the early ones. More reviews alone would not raise a share; the topic is genuinely taking up more of what customers write.

Rent-Hike Index data
20161,25660.5%
20173,061160.5%
20184,580250.5%
20195,757220.4%6535.7%
20205,925180.3%6605.3%
20217,040490.7%9207.6%
20227,928881.1%1,05213%
202310,0491081.1%1,30713%
202415,4352161.4%2,01315%
202537,2266111.6%4,17324%
2026106,1121,9361.8%9,06833%

The last two columns come from our coded low-star reviews (2019 onward, years with 30+ reviews). 2026 runs through October. Download this table (CSV)

In bad reviews, rate hikes are now a top complaint

The keyword index is conservative. When we had every one- and two-star review read and coded by topic, a rate increase came up in 5.3% of 2020's bad reviews and 32.9% of 2026's, second only to complaints about staff. The full breakdown is in our RV storage complaints study.

Share of 1-2 star reviews citing a rate increase, by year2019: 5.7%; 2020: 5.3%; 2021: 7.6%; 2022: 13%; 2023: 13%; 2024: 15%; 2025: 24%; 2026: 33%5.7%20195.3%20207.6%202113%202213%202315%202424%202533%2026
n = 653 coded low-star reviews in 2019, rising to 9,068 in 2026.

Where rent-hike mentions are most common

Share of storage reviews mentioning a rate increase, by stateNH 3.9%, RI 3.7%, CT 2.7%, NY 2.7%, VA 2.5%, ME 2.4%, WV 2.3%, UT 2.2%AK: 0.4%AK0.4%ME: 2.4%ME2.4%VT: no dataVTNH: 3.9%NH3.9%WA: 1.3%WA1.3%ID: 1.1%ID1.1%MT: 0.9%MT0.9%ND: 0.6%ND0.6%MN: 1.8%MN1.8%IL: 1.5%IL1.5%WI: 1.5%WI1.5%MI: 1.7%MI1.7%NY: 2.7%NY2.7%RI: 3.7%RI3.7%MA: 1.9%MA1.9%OR: 1.3%OR1.3%NV: 1.9%NV1.9%WY: 0.7%WY0.7%SD: 0.4%SD0.4%IA: 0.8%IA0.8%IN: 1.6%IN1.6%OH: 1.9%OH1.9%PA: 1.8%PA1.8%NJ: 1.4%NJ1.4%CT: 2.7%CT2.7%CA: 1.6%CA1.6%UT: 2.2%UT2.2%CO: 1.6%CO1.6%NE: 1.5%NE1.5%MO: 1.4%MO1.4%KY: 1.6%KY1.6%WV: 2.3%WV2.3%VA: 2.5%VA2.5%MD: 2.2%MD2.2%DE: 0.4%DE0.4%AZ: 1.6%AZ1.6%NM: 1.1%NM1.1%KS: 1.7%KS1.7%AR: 0.9%AR0.9%TN: 1.3%TN1.3%NC: 1.5%NC1.5%SC: 1.4%SC1.4%DC: no dataDCOK: 1.1%OK1.1%LA: 0.8%LA0.8%MS: 0.8%MS0.8%AL: 0.8%AL0.8%GA: 1.3%GA1.3%HI: 1.9%HI1.9%TX: 1.2%TX1.2%FL: 1.5%FL1.5%0.4%3.9%Dashed outline: no data
States with at least 300 reviews, 2009 to Oct 2026. Vermont and DC have too few reviews to show.

The highest shares are in the Northeast: New Hampshire at 3.9% (n = 793) and Rhode Island at 3.7% (n = 435), with Connecticut, New York, Virginia and Maine all at 2.4% or more. Several large markets sit below the national 1.5%, including Texas at 1.2% (n = 27,846). Smaller states have wide margins of error, so treat single-state gaps of a few tenths of a point as noise.

Rent-hike mentions by state
New Hampshire7933.9%
Rhode Island4353.7%
Connecticut1,1022.7%
New York4,3292.7%
Virginia4,9252.5%
Maine7232.4%
West Virginia5682.3%
Utah3,2552.2%
Maryland2,8312.2%
Ohio5,5591.9%
Massachusetts1,7171.9%
Nevada2,6791.9%
Hawaii3181.9%
Pennsylvania4,4121.8%
Minnesota2,6551.8%
Michigan5,9501.7%
Kansas1,7551.7%
California18,8411.6%
Kentucky1,9981.6%
Arizona6,3981.6%
Indiana3,9981.6%
Colorado5,6431.6%
Florida18,8611.5%
North Carolina8,0971.5%
Nebraska1,2371.5%
Illinois4,9931.5%
Wisconsin3,1421.5%
South Carolina4,8611.4%
Missouri4,6761.4%
New Jersey2,8131.4%
Georgia7,7411.3%
Oregon3,5021.3%
Tennessee5,5671.3%
Washington6,9331.3%
Texas27,8461.2%
New Mexico1,6181.1%
Oklahoma3,8071.1%
Idaho2,6661.1%
Arkansas3,0290.9%
Montana1,6100.9%
Louisiana2,0110.8%
Iowa1,3330.8%
Alabama3,9350.8%
Mississippi1,5340.8%
Wyoming5930.7%
North Dakota4840.6%
Alaska4710.4%
South Dakota4730.4%
Delaware4760.4%

Download this table (CSV)

What it means for you

  • Ask how often rates change. Some facilities review rents on a schedule; others raise them after an introductory period. Get the policy in writing.
  • Check the notice period. The contract should say how much written notice you get before a new rate applies. Know how notices are sent so you don't miss one.
  • Treat move-in specials as temporary. A low first-month or first-quarter rate often resets to the standard rate. Compare the standard rate, not the special.
  • Compare posted rates. Our RV Storage Rate Index shows median posted monthly rates by storage type and length, so you can tell whether a new rate is in line with the market.
  • Ask about prepay or annual terms. Some facilities lock a rate for a prepaid term. Weigh that against the refund policy if your plans change.
  • Shop around at renewal. Check outdoor and covered options nearby before accepting a large increase.

The infographic

RV Storage Rent-Hike Index · 2026Rent-hike mentions in storage reviews:6 times as common as in 2020Share of each year's Google reviews of US storage facilities thatmention a rent or rate increase, all star ratings.6x2026 share vs 20201.8%of 2026 reviews (n = 106,112)32.9%of 2026's 1-2 star reviewscite a hikeRent-Hike Index by year2016: 0.5%; 2017: 0.5%; 2018: 0.5%; 2019: 0.4%; 2020: 0.3%; 2021: 0.7%; 2022: 1.1%; 2023: 1.1%; 2024: 1.4%; 2025: 1.6%; 2026: 1.8%0.5%20160.5%20170.5%20180.4%20190.3%20200.7%20211.1%20221.1%20231.4%20241.6%20251.8%2026Source: RV Storage Rates analysis of 205,399 Google reviews of US storagefacilities, 2016 to Oct 2026.rvstoragerates.com

How we did this

  • We took every Google review with text for the RV, boat and vehicle storage facilities in our directory: 205,399 reviews dated 2009 to October 2026, collected via DataForSEO in October 2026.
  • Each review was matched against a keyword pattern for rent or rate increases (for example "raised the rent", "rate increase", "price hike", "rent went up", "jacked up"). The index is the share of each year's reviews that match, across all star ratings. Years with fewer than 200 reviews are left out.
  • The number of reviews per year grows from 1,256 in 2016 to 106,112 in 2026; the 2020 figure rests on 18 matching reviews, so the early years carry wide margins. 2026 runs January to October.
  • The low-star series comes from our separate coding of all 21,267 one- and two-star reviews by a language model, which catches more phrasings than the keyword pattern and so gives higher shares.
  • State figures cover states with at least 300 reviews. We report shares of reviews mentioning a topic, not the size or frequency of actual rent increases, and we do not name facilities.

Sources

  1. Google reviews of RV storage facilities listed on RV Storage Rates, collected via DataForSEO, accessed October 20, 2026
  2. RV Storage Rates analysis, October 2026

Cite this: RV Storage Rates, "The RV Storage Rent-Hike Index: reviews mentioning a rate increase are 6 times as common as in 2020," October 25, 2026, https://rvstoragerates.com/storage-rent-increase-index/

Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.

Questions people ask

Are RV storage prices going up?

Complaints about increases are. In our data 1.8% of 2026's storage reviews mention a rate increase, six times the 0.3% of 2020, and a rate hike now comes up in 32.9% of one- and two-star reviews. The index measures how often customers write about hikes, not the size of the hikes.

How much notice does a storage facility have to give before raising rent?

It depends on your contract and state law. Storage agreements usually set out how much written notice you get before a new rate applies. Read the rate clause before you sign, ask how notices are delivered, and ask whether a move-in special ends after a set period.

Which states have the most RV storage rent-hike complaints?

Among states with at least 300 reviews, New Hampshire (3.9% of reviews), Rhode Island (3.7%), Connecticut (2.7%) and New York (2.7%) have the highest shares mentioning a rate increase. The national figure is 1.5%.

How can I avoid a storage rent increase?

You usually cannot rule one out, but you can plan for it. Ask how often rates are reviewed, get the policy in writing, compare the standard rate rather than the move-in special, and ask whether prepaying for a term locks the rate.

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