It’s always tough dealing with the mess left behind when tenants leave a property. Most people hire eviction cleanout Vallejo CA services to deal with this situation. However, there’s a proper process that you must follow if tenants have abandoned your property, no matter what the reason that led to them abandoning the property.
In this article, we have discussed the complete process you should follow to deal with the tenant’s property. However, before moving ahead, let’s take a look at what items qualify as tenant’s property:
Tenant Property
Basically, personal possessions that were owned by tenants can be defined as a tenant property. According to the tenancy contract, the tenant is mandated to restore the property in its original state. This means no personal belongings should be left behind. However, if you want their possessions lingering around in your property, here’s the process you need to follow:
Step 1: Evaluate the Reason for Abandoning Property
It’s important because it can help you determine the steps you need to follow ahead. Some of the major reasons why tenants abandon a property include:
End of the Lease/Tenancy Contract
This is the most common cause of the contract ending between a tenant and landlord. As the tenant has moved out on their own after completing the notice period, there are no legal steps involved. This means that the property they left behind was done by their choice in most probability.
Termination Notice
Again, you have the upper hand here if you served them the termination notice and they were given their rightful days to abandon the property.
Eviction
If, due to some reason, an eviction was enforced by you, the law comes into the picture. Authorities will determine what to do with their belongings they have left behind.
Disappearance
This can be a complicated case as in most cases, the tenant disappears without paying the rent. However, still, you do not hold any right to claim possession of their property in lieu of the rent.
Step 2: Survey the Property
Different rules apply to discarding different types of property. Therefore, it’s recommended to conduct a survey of the property before taking any further action:
- Garbage: If you have found garbage, you reserve the right to dispose of it.
- Fixtures: If there are permanent fixtures, they are considered part of the property. Therefore, the owner can claim their right over them. However, in case the tenancy contract doesn’t mention that the tenant is responsible for removing those fixtures, you can either keep them or remove them. In case you opt for the latter, you can use the security deposit to cover the removal expense.
- Motor Vehicles: Even if it’s an inoperable junk vehicle, you should contact local law enforcement to deal with it.
- Furniture Items: Most tenants, willingly or unwillingly, leave this type of property behind. You should contact the local government to deal with this situation. In most probably, you will have to return the stuff or you can keep or dispose of them. For the latter situation, you can contact the best junk removal services in town by 3 Kings Hauling and More.
Step # 3: Make an Itemized List and Click Pictures
Now that you have taken care of the garbage and classified the items left behind, the next step is to make an itemized list of the abandoned property. Don’t forget to take their pictures. This way, you will remain protected against any lawsuit.
Step # 4: Store the Items
If you are expecting new tenants, you certainly cannot keep the previous tenant’s belongings linger over there. So, hiring a commercial storage unit is the preferred choice. In case you have enough space in your home to store them, then that’s the best option.
Any cost that will be incurred to hire storage services can be reimbursed once the authorities have decided what to do with the property.
Step # 5: Contact the Tenant
Once you have found the abandoned belongings of the tenant in your property, you should try and get in touch with them for the purpose of notifying them about their belongings. The better choice would be to delivering a written notice so that it can act as a testimony in case things go south. Also, include in this notice the itemized list and pictures of the belonging.
In case the tenant doesn’t respond even after multiple notices, you can contact local authorities. The decision, then, will be in their court as to what to do with the abandoned belongings. They will take all the factors into consideration and then come to a conclusion that every party involved must adhere to.
We hope that this article sums up what you should do if the tenant has left their possessions in your property.
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