General Housing Information

questions & answers

Question: Tenant was caught stealing& asked to leave. ROOMATE LEFT THAT NIGHT & HAD HELP AND TOOK ALL BELONGINGS! Now. two wks.later, r-mate is stating things were left behind&bringing law to retrieve them? What do i do?

Answer: If I am understanding you correctly, you are asking if you have to let your former roommate come back to collect personal possessions. If your former roommate is still on the lease or pays rent and has a right to be in the home, then he or she still has a right to enter the premises and gather belongings. If his or her right to be on the premises has ended (lease terminated, evicted, etc.), you have no obligation to let them in the residence. You do have an obligation to preserve and hand over any personal property that belongs to the former roommate. If they want to do a civil standby with law enforcement, that may be even better for everyone involved.