If former tenants leave items after abandoning their house, how long do I have before I can dispose of them?

Question

I had tenants that stayed 3 months longer after their lease agreement with no pay, before the eviction process was completed they finally left the property 3 days ago, leaving behind some large heavy items (mechanics tool chest). Can I legally take immediate possesion of these items, or do I have to wait a certain length of time?

Answer 1

This has just happened to a friend mine minus the 3 month no pay part....but, it's usually 30 days by law but you need to contact your county clerks office and ask what the wait period is because it varies from county to county, state to state....or call your local law enforcement and ask them or ask them for the county clerks number...i know you can remove the stuff from your property but, you have to wait a certain amount of time to give to the tenant to get their stuff before you can legally get rid of it and not be responsible to pay it back...my friends landlord sold their washer and drier and had to replace an old run down ones with brand new so be careful with what you do with it and i would take pictures with the date on it with the stuff in the house before you remove it just for good measure! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

What state are you in? This varies by state. In Minnesota you have to keep it for a year, then you can sell it. You are only supposed to keep what they owe you for rent and/or storage costs. If they come back and want it before the year is up, they have to pay you the cost to store it and whatever else they owed you for past due rent, damages, etc. Your county attourney might have a booklet on the tenant and landlord rules or they should at least be able to tell you where to find them. Minnesota has a booklet of all of the rules that I got from my county attourney

Answer 3

they have 30 days to get things out.