If Ihave a roommate who is in a short term rehab center who is refusing to pay rent that is due in a couple of weeks, how long do I have to keep her stuff?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If Ihave a roommate who is in a short term rehab center who is refusing to pay rent that is due in a couple of weeks, how long do I have to keep her stuff?
Asked on November 17, 2012 under Real Estate Law, North Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you are the landlord, you have to keep the roommate's belongings until you actually evict her through the courts--and even then, you'll have to keep it for at least another month, while giving her notice and an opportunity to pick them up.
If you are a cotenant, you cannot dispose of the belongings at all--that is the landlord's role, at the expiration of the tenancy or when either this roommate or the two of you are evicted.
In either case, you may be able to put them into storage, though if you are roommmate, it will be at your expense. (A landlord can store an evicted tenant's goods while waiting for the tenant to pick them up, then pass the cost on to the tenant.)
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.