Legal Definitions - housage

Housage refers to a fee or charge levied for the storage of goods or property. It specifically denotes the cost associated with keeping items in a warehouse, storage facility, or other commercial space for a period of time.

• Example 1: Commercial Warehouse Storage

  A small business that imports seasonal decorations needs to store a large shipment of holiday ornaments until the retail season begins. They contract with a third-party logistics company that operates a large warehouse. The invoice from the logistics company includes a charge for "housage," which covers the cost of storing the ornaments securely in the warehouse for several months before they are distributed to stores.

  This example illustrates housage as the direct fee paid for utilizing commercial warehouse space to store inventory over an extended period.

• Example 2: Port Storage for Delayed Shipments

  An international shipping company transports several containers of automotive parts to a major port. Due to unexpected customs delays, the containers cannot be immediately moved off the dock or transferred to their final destination. The port authority charges the shipping company a daily fee for each container that remains on port grounds beyond a specified grace period. This charge for holding the containers and their contents at the port is a form of housage.

  Here, housage represents the fee for storing goods (the automotive parts within containers) at a port facility when there are delays in their onward movement.

• Example 3: Temporary Storage During Transit

  A moving company is transporting a client's household goods across the country. Midway through the journey, the client requests a temporary pause in delivery because their new home isn't ready. The moving company stores the client's belongings in a secure, climate-controlled facility at a transit hub for two weeks. The additional charge for this interim storage, separate from the main transportation cost, is considered housage.

  This example demonstrates housage as a charge for the temporary storage of goods during a break or interruption in their overall transportation process.