How can I dispose of my ex-roommate’s property if theymoved out 10 months ago?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How can I dispose of my ex-roommate’s property if theymoved out 10 months ago?
I have ask him to take his belongings but he has not removed all of them.
Asked on October 27, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Alaska
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If your former roommate has moved out of the unit you shared more than ten (10) months ago without taking all of his belongings and has never sought to retrieve them, then there is a good chance that the items left behind are abandoned.
To protect yourself, you should write him a letter stating that the items need to be picked up by a certain date or they will be disposed of by you. Keep a copy of this letter for future reference.
If the date comes and goes and the items are still on the premises, your options if the items are worth in your opinion less than $300 collectively would be to donate them to charity or discard them.
If they are worth more than $300 in your opinion, you should take them to an offsite storage facility and place the rental in your former roommate's name with his last known address and telephone number. Send him another letter advising him where the items are now. If he fails to pay the rent for the storage, the facility will auction off the items to pay the unpaid bill.
Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.