Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Virginia

If a tenant does not pay the last couple months of rent, they move out and leave stuff behind, they do not contact the landlord to get the rest of the stuff out of the property, and the owner of the property changes the locks of the residence. What happens legally to the items the tenant leaves in the property? Do they forfeit the ownership to the landlord? Can the landlord do what they see fit with the items? If the tenant eventually wants the items back say months or years after do they have a right to the items?

Asked on 6/29/11, 7:10 pm

Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

0 users found helpful

0 attorneys agreed

If this former tenant abandons his property in rented premises and

leaves the landlord stuck with several months of unpaid rent, he can forget

about retrieving any such property until all such rent is fully paid up.

And, it should go without saying that, yes, if no such payments are made, the

property would be considered abandoned and could be disposed of in virtually any manner which the landlord deems appropriate.

Answered on 6/30/11, 9:11 pm

Keywords

Match Any Match All

Country

State

Area of Law