My tenant has moved out and left property behind, what can I do with it?
If a tenant moves out of a rental unit and leaves property behind, it can leave a landlord wondering what they are able to do with the property. Can they dispose of it? Sell it? Keep it? The Residential Tenancies Act sets out the law for landlords and tenants in Ontario, it has a set of rules that relate to this situation. If a landlord follows these rules, they can not be held liable for the property of the former tenant. Failure to follow these rules can result in the tenant being able to claim damages against the landlord. Important to note, the rules that will be discussed will not relate to a situation where a tenant has moved out or died and their spouse remains in the unit. If a tenant has moved out because of a legal notice, agreement to terminate, board order or their job as a superintendent has ended. Most of the time a landlord can immediately dispose of, sell or keep the property. If the tenant has left on good terms and a landlord agrees to store som...