What should I do with a tenant’s leftover belongings?

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17 February 2017

5516

Reader Question:

“I’m a landlord and have just had my property vacated. The tenants still have leftover belongings in the property. What are my rights / responsibilities regarding dealing with / removing this stuff?” – Joanne.

leftover belongings

Dealing with leftover belongings

We asked Training and Development Manager at Professionals, Jenni Wood for an answer to this question.

Jenni said the disposal and /or storage of abandoned goods differs subtly from state to state.

“There are provisions for the disposal of perishable goods along with those items of little or no value,” she said.

“Strict requirements are in place by your state’s governing body but generally speaking you will need to follow the criteria when dealing with such items, and could include cataloguing the items and obtaining an indemnity certificate before you dispose of anything.”

Jenni said some items will also require to be adequately stored for a prescribed period of time.

“There are costs involved with said storage, which initially is borne by the owner, and hopefully recouped by the tenant. When the rightful owner fails to collect there may be provisions to auction or sell the items in order to recover costs.”

Check with your state or territory governing body for specific local requirements.

You might also like:
– What to do when your tenant gives a notice to vacate

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Jenni Wood

State Assessor at Harcourts Real Estate Training Centre | [email protected]

Jenni Wood is the Western Australian Regional Assessor with Harcourts Real Estate Training Centre (HRETC). With over 30 years of industry experience, Jenni is a Licensed Real Estate Agent and holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. She has worked with HRETC since July 2019. Before starting her role as the state's Regional Assessor, Jenni was the Academy Trainer with Harcourts Western Australia. She previously worked with REIWA's Property Management Network Committee as the co-chair between 2009-2019 and as Training & Development Manager for Professionals State Service Centre for WA and NT.