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I removed all belongings from inside my apartment but still had valuable belongings in the basement 24 hours after notice of intent to vacate the apartment. My landlord removed all of my belongings without trying to notify me. Do I have any recourse?

Editor's response

This is a confusing area of the law, and the answer to your question probably will depend on the details of what happened. We do have an article on the issue in our Quick Info Library. I have to ask, though, what did you expect the landlord to do? Did you tell him/her you would be back for the property? Did he/she know it was valuable? (One person's valuable and loved furniture is another man's junk--especially when it has been sitting in the corner of a basement).

If you did, then the LL probably has made a mess for himself. If not, and if you had told the landlord you were moving, why should he/she have to babysit your stuff? Is it not reasonable for him/her to assume that you do not want property that you have left behind? I'm just curious.

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