What to do When a Tenant Leaves Their Stuff on Your Property
Even after you have successfully evicted a tenant, their belongings remain theirs, even if they left it behind. There are many rules that need to be followed when it comes to dealing with this type of situation.
Florida law states that you may not get rid of a tenant’s belongings immediately even though you need to remove the items before getting in a new tenant. However, you can remove them if you follow strict protocols. Typically, all the goods need to be stored in a safe place until the tenant can be reached.
The next step is to serve a schedule 1 notice to the tenant if you know where they are. If you do not know where they are, it is advisable that you put a copy of the notice in the window of your rental property in case they come back.
The notice needs to clearly state where their property is and what items are included. It also needs to provide information pertaining to, if relevant, the sale of any of their items, as well as the cost of the storage fees and any other fees that will be deducted from the proceeds of the sale.
About Notice to The Tenant
The normal amount of time that you give a tenant to come get their things is 21-30 days, but if they communicate with you that they need more time, you may be able to work something different out between the two of you.
If you cannot get ahold of the tenant, you need to try to look for them in any way that you can. It may be useful to use a tracing agent to track them down. This service is not typically expensive, and you can deduct the amount from the sale of the tenant’s property if they never show, or even from their security deposit. If you do not try to find or contact the tenant about their things before selling them, you might end up with a lawsuit on your hands.
If you have made every effort to get ahold of the tenant and have their permission to sell their property, then you may do so. You need to keep records of any conversations that take place between you and the tenant for liability’s sake.
If you cannot get hold of the former tenant, there are specific steps that need to be taken in order to be able to sell their property without their consent. For more information on the process that needs to be followed, you should contact your property management team, as they will be able to guide you in the right direction.
Who is Liable for The Costs Involved in the Sale of the Belongings?
When people have left their belongings behind, there will likely be costs involved in the storage and sale of these items, which you, as the landlord will usually need to pay for initially. When the items are sold, you typically may deduct these costs from the proceeds of the sale before giving any balance to the tenant.
Property management tasks like this can be time-consuming and frustrating, which is why so many experienced investors choose an Orlando property management company. Specialized Property Management Orlando has a team of experts that keep up to date on local laws and know how to deal with these difficult situations. We can get everything taken care of quickly and efficiently as to disrupt your revenue flow as little as possible. Contact us online or call us at 407-698-3322 for more information.
