How long do you have to have somebody's stuff after they leave before it is considered abandoned?

Answer 1

Not sure what your situation is but if you leave an apartment vacant and don't pay your rent 30 days from the day you are evicted your stuff is gone. If it was something you "found" you would have to turn it over to the authority's first then they would hold it for 30 days. If it was something else I would suggest posting the stuff in a few newspapers as proof you tried to find the person then after,,,you guessed it...30 days do what you want with it. Not sure how legal that is but its the best i can come up with

Answer 2

Abandonment
Under the law, abandonment occurs when a tenant has both fallen behind in rent AND has clearly indicated by words or actions an intention not to continue living in the rental.

When a rental has been abandoned, the landlord may enter the unit and remove any abandoned property. It must then be stored in a reasonably secure place. A notice must be mailed to the tenant saying where the property is being stored, and when it will be sold. If the landlord does not have a new address for the tenant, the notice should be mailed to the rental address, so it can be forwarded by the post office.

How long the landlord must wait before selling the abandoned property depends on the value of the goods.

If the total value of the property is less than $50, the landlord must mail a notice of the sale to the tenant and then wait seven days. Family pictures, keepsakes, and personal papers cannot be sold until 45 days after the landlord mails the notice of abandonment.

If the total value of the property is more than $50, the landlord must mail a notice of the sale to the tenant and then wait 45 days. Personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes can be sold at the same time as other property.

If the tenant demands the return of the property before it is sold or disposed of, the landlord must return it, but may force the tenant to pay moving and storage costs. The landlord may not force the tenant to pay any back rent or other damages prior to returning the property.

If the property is sold, the money raised by the sale of the property goes to cover money owed to the landlord, such as back rent and the cost of storing and selling the goods. If there is any money left over, the landlord must keep it for the tenant for one year. If it is not claimed within that time, it belongs to the landlord.

If a landlord takes a tenant's property and a court later determines there had not actually been an abandonment, the landlord could be ordered to compensate the tenant for loss of the property, as well as paying court and attorney costs.

Within 14 days of learning of an abandonment, the landlord is responsible for either returning a tenant's deposit or providing a statement of why the deposit is being kept.

Answer 3

Depends upon the law of the state. Oftentimes, there is a "notice" requirement (like if you find a wad of cash in a parking lot, you have to post notice of the cash find at the courthouse). But for stuff that was intentionally left with you (and you know the person), it varies state-by-state.
If it's valuable, contact an attorney. If it's not, you can think about providing notice that you're a bailee and you will charge money for its safekeeping and/or they have so many days (a reasonable time) to claim the property otherwise you'll dispose of it.
Of course, if you do anything to destroy the property, you could face a lawsuit for conversion, so check with a local attorney if you believe these people might sue and/or the property is valuable at all (and/or you wouldn't be willing to go to small claims court and pay them replacement cost).

Answer 4

If you send the person 3 letters and wait 6 months, you are in the clear. Keep good records though in case of a court case.

Answer 5

You should notify the person by registered mail if possible or run a ad in the newspaper for 30 days if you get no response. Toss it