What would you do about someone leaving furniture in your apt. for a long period of time? (see details)
Okay, so I moved into an apartment about 3–4 months ago with a girl that had already been living here for a year with someone else. The girl that previously lived here left two of her couches and said she would take them as soon as she could find room for them in her new apartment. It has been over 3 months now and she still has not removed them. She has told us countless times she was going to come and get them on a certain day, and then she never shows up. My roommate and I are getting really frustrated, and we have told her repeatedly she needs to come and get the rest of her things. We even would be willing to get rid of them for her, and or if she no longer wants them, sell them so we can get a new couch. How would you go about solving this issue? I’m starting to think she is never going to come back for them. I don’t want to get rid of them though and then have her come back and say she wants them. Help! Thanks =]
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19 Answers
i would tell her you need the space, give her a deadline, like say two weeks should be generous enough, and tell her if she does not get them by that date, salvation army or some other charity is going to come pick them up. she needs a clear deadline and you need to stick to it.
To me this screems ultimatum.
Come get them on a certain date, otherwise we put them at the garbage.
Period.
@jca I couldn’t have said it any better. 10 GA’s.
Is the girl still on the lease? Is she contributing financially to the apartment?
If the answer is no… I would give her a deadline in writing. If she hasn’t gotten her property, then consider it yours to do with as you will. You are not a free storage facility.
@Likeradar no she has been off the lease since the beginning of May and has had a new apartment since. We’ve been saying the same thing we aren’t free storage! haha
When you notify her in writing, do it certified mail-return receipt. That way when she comes next year to get her furniture she can’t sue you for disposing of her property without fair warning.
Set a deadline. Make it generous like a month.
It the stuff isn’t picked up, donate it. Your apartment isn’t her storage.
Another option is to bill her for storage.
Unless you have a contract with her (and you may have, if you agreed to store the couches indefinitely), any property left behind in a rental or storage is considered abandoned after one month, if not on the date she departed. Timelines vary by state, but you would be well within your rights to dispose of them as you see fit, if that time period is exceeded.
On the other hand common decency and friendship demand, at a minimum, that you at least make some effort to contact her and arrange for a time she can retrieve her stuff. She probably thinks she is doing you a favor by letting you have use of her couches.
Put a ad on craigslist for free couches. Send her a link to the ad.
I know it is passive aggressive, but it is what I would do.
Give her a deadline (and a short once, since she’s already had 3 months). If she makes the “no room” excuse again explain that you don’t have room either, so they’re going by the deadline you gave, whether they go with her or not!!!
Use them! Also give her a time limit! Say another month (or however long you want to tolerate it) and then they’re gone!
@Capt Bloth I agree, burn em baby ;-)
@Zuma – In many states, in order to invoke the abandoned property law, you first have to show proof of a good faith attempt to contact the owner of the property. That is why they need to send a letter to her certified and return receipt. Then if she fails to retrieve her couches and the time periods for your locality are met, they can be classified as abandoned property and disposed of as you wish. Generally, giving them to charity, putting them on Freecycle, or throwing them out are acceptable means. In some states there are limits to what profit you can make off such goods.
Read the Tenants Rights Guide for your area. There is usually some information that tells you what the regulations are regarding abandoned furniture. As @Darwin says, be sure you have plenty of documentation.
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