Where the lots come from
Yardi Matrix counted nearly 11 million square feet delivered across 30 properties in 2025, which is 1.6% of total stock. New buildings mean fit-outs, and fit-outs mean contractors leaving totes. Older buildings mean tenant turnover. Either way, the person who ends up holding the lot is the building manager, not the original owner.
The building manager's problem is rarely money. It is time: the dock is needed for the next tenant, and nobody knows what is in the totes. The first job is to find out, and the empty totes page describes the order.
| Submarket | Industrial vacancy |
|---|---|
| Inland Empire West | 5.9% |
| Inland Empire Core | 7.2% |
| Inland Empire East | 8.7% |
Three steps for a manager
- Count and photograph. Total, sizes, and the plate on each. The grader builds the list as you go.
- Find the last contents. Labels, bills of lading, the tenant's file. If nothing, treat the lot as unknown. See what not to store.
What a 3PL holds for others
A 3PL that stores a client's totes is a custodian, not an owner. Clearing them needs the client's say. Put that in the request, so that the person who answers knows who can approve a sale or a disposal.
A lease-end checklist
At the end of a lease, walk the building with a clipboard. Mark every pallet that is not yours, every tote with a label and every tote without one. Photograph each corner of the dock. Compare against the lease inventory and against the tenant's exit notice, if any was given.
Anything you cannot match is an orphan. Orphan totes should be treated as unknown contents until proved otherwise, and kept away from the next tenant's product.
Questions people ask
Who owns a tote left by a tenant?
That depends on the lease. Settle it before a sale or a disposal.
Can I clear a lot with unknown contents?
Do not drain or rinse it. Route it through the disposal page.
Sources. Last reviewed 2026-11-11.