Walk It Through: The Boxes In The Garage
A tenant gone, belongings left behind, what is small and what is stored, and when the landlord may dispose of it.
A tenant moves out in a hurry and leaves a few boxes of kitchen things and an old couch.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One tenant's leftover belongings. A tenant evicted by court order, a vehicle left on the property, a deceased tenant's things and a dispute over value are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Ordinary wear and tearThe use a home shows from ordinary living. A landlord may keep deposit money to restore the premises to their condition at the start of the tenancy, except for this.
- Security depositMoney held to secure a rental agreement, however the lease names it. It may not exceed one month's rent without special conditions and agreement.
- Small claimsA simpler court procedure for claims up to twelve thousand dollars, in which the plaintiff gives up a jury and an appeal.
- Presumed abandonedThe status of a former tenant's belongings worth $500 or less, left ten days after the tenant quits, which the landlord may then dispose of.