What to Do with Renters' Junk in Gulfport

Renter’s junk. Ugh. You have a rental property and now, it’s vacant, either because the lease ended and was not renewed, or, you evicted the tenant(s). You’ve just walked through the empty property and have found to your dismay that the renters left their junk behind.In the Sunshine State, the law states, “When personal property remains on the premises after a tenancy has terminated or expired and the premises have been vacated by the tenant, through eviction or otherwise, the landlord shall give written notice to such tenant and to any other person the landlord reasonably believes to be the owner of the property.”

What to Do with Renters’ Junk

One upside is that you can actually charge your former tenant reasonable storage fees for the time their personal property remains on your investment property. In most instances, renters leave behind worthless stuff. And, you can simply clean it up and throw it away. However, if it’s valuable, like furniture, appliances, electronics, or something else, you can’t simply toss it out. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have options.

Tenants moving out often find they need additional time to clean their apartments after packing is over. It stands to reason, then, that the next most frequently asked question is how long they’re allowed to remain in their apartments after their lease expires or they’ve given notice that they’re breaking their leases. —Move.com

Though you are required to send notice of the personal property left behind, you don’t have to hold onto it forever. Do yourself a favor and talk to a real estate attorney, the money you might spend will be well worth it.If you are able to contact your former tenant, do so and notify him or her that their personal property needs to be picked up immediately.

How to Deal with Renters’ Junk

Dealing with an evicted tenant is generally another matter, you should change the locks within 24 hours. Then, document everything, by taking photos of everything left behind and each and every room. The condition of the home and their personal belongings need to be documented. If you are able to dispose of the items, you should phone a local junk hauling and removal service to clear the property out. After all, you don’t really know the condition or history of those items, so, you shouldn’t get too close to them.Next, you’ll need to get the home ready to rent again and do so in a quick and efficient manner so you don’t have to deal with a long vacancy period. You can either deep clean it yourself or hire a service. Before it’s cleaned, fix anything and everything that’s broken, because you’ll have trouble renting a property that isn’t in tip-top shape.