1.    Employees and authorized representatives of an owner may sell, solicit, and offer self-service storage insurance to occupants and are not subject to licensure as an insurance producer under this chapter if:

a.    The owner obtains a limited lines license to authorize the owner’s employees and authorized representatives to sell, solicit, and offer self-service storage insurance under this chapter.

b.    The owner files an acknowledgment with the commissioner in a form and manner directed by the commissioner that the owner’s counter sales employees and authorized representatives act on the owner’s behalf and the owner is responsible for any representations made by the counter sales employees or authorized representatives relating to the self-service storage insurance offered through the owner. The acknowledgment must state the commissioner may take any administrative action included in this title.

c.    The insurer issuing the self-service storage insurance or a supervising entity supervises the development of a training program for employees and authorized representatives of the owner. The training required by this subdivision:

(1) Must be delivered to employees and authorized representatives of the owner who are engaged directly in the activity of selling, soliciting, or offering self-service storage insurance, and the training materials must be maintained by the owner and made available to the commissioner for inspection upon request.

    (2) Must include providing each employee and authorized representative with basic instruction about the self-service storage insurance offered to customers and the disclosures required under section 26.1-26.9-03; and

(3) May be provided in electronic form, provided the owner or supervising entity implements a supplemental education program regarding the self-service storage insurance conducted and overseen by a licensed producer.

d.    An employee or authorized representative of an owner may not advertise, represent, or otherwise be held out to the public as a nonlimited lines-licensed insurance producer, unless otherwise licensed.

2.    An owner’s employees and authorized representatives may not be paid directly by an insurance company, or be paid a commission or any other compensation for the sale of self-service storage insurance. This section does not prevent an owner from including the results of selling, soliciting, or offering self-service storage insurance in an overall performance compensation incentive program for employees and authorized representatives.

3.    The owner may bill and collect charges for self-service storage insurance coverage.

Any charge to the occupant for coverage not included in the cost of the rental of a space must be separately itemized on the occupant’s bill. If the self-service storage insurance coverage is included with the lease of a space, the owner clearly and conspicuously shall disclose to the occupant, on the rental invoice or elsewhere, any self-service storage insurance coverage included with the rental of a space. An owner billing and collecting the charges is not required to maintain the funds in a segregated account if the owner is authorized by the insurer to hold the funds in an alternative manner. All premiums received by an owner from an occupant for the sale of self-service storage insurance must be considered funds held by the owner in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of the insurer. An owner may receive compensation for billing and collection services.