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PA: Tenant Abandons Apartment? Broken Lease

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PA: Tenant Abandons Apartment? Broken Lease

Issue Summary:
Tenant has ignored all communication, stopped paying rent, has not been seen for weeks/months. Lease is due at the end of the month and I'm concerned that he has abandoned everything, leaving furniture etc. on a third-floor house apartment.

Details:
Once the tenant moves in (roughly October 2005), tenant stopped all communication. I've sent memos, voicemails, emails, letters and registered letters with no response; (tenant has signed for registered letters). Lease ends on April 30th. Tenant sent a letter on Jan.31 telling me he would not renew the lease, he was giving 60 days notice (but there was another 30 days additional on the lease), he was no longer paying rent (bc. I had the last month rent, which would have been true if the lease ended at the end of March). The letter stated that he would be completely moved out in mid March. I am showing the apartment to prospective tenants (giving 24 hour notice each time), and notice that the third-floor house apartment still has a lot of items in it (Sofa, bureaus, bed etc. - tenant did remove electronics (tv/stereo etc.)) No one has seen the tenant at the building in months. I have seen the tenant from time-to-time driving through the neighborhood.

Concern:
What if the tenant abandoned the apartment? A) What do I do with the stuff (excluding having to move it out of there) - what are my responsibilities/obligations?

The apartment has been hard to show as the tenant keeps the place very dark. Contractors are needed to do some work which was originally schedule for last week but not sure what to do now? One of the contractors I trust and would do a clean job and not touch anything...but not sure now. I expect the apartment will be rented for the 1st.

Thanks in advance for any information on the issue.

-PR
 


Bump [eom]

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Anyone there w/information, or can point to another location that may answer the question? thanks.
 

fairlight

Member
What state do you live in? Response by someone on this board will be dictated by the laws of your state.

You think the tenant moved in in October? What's the date on the lease? A six month's lease is a new one to me.

You expect the apartment to be rented "for the first." You haven't resolved the situation with the person who still has some of his belongings there.
 
Responses:

State: PA (Suburb of Philadelphia)

Move-in: Tenant moved into the apartment in October, 2005. The lease was due to either a) Renew for a year -or- b) End at the end of April, 2006. This was arranged and agreed to by both myself and the tenant prior to lease signing.

New Tenant: Do I expect the apartment to be rented on the first, well, it COULD be rented for the first of the month. However, the date will needed to be pushed back a bit as there is work that will be needed before the re-rental. And, more importantly, THIS ISSUE must be resolved. I do not want to loose any down-time as a result of a negligent tenant (it happens, I know). In addition, I want to do what is right. What I do NOT want to do is (1) Have to move all the tenants stuff out of the third-floor apartment, (2) store any of the tenants possessions, (3) dispose of any of the tenants possessions.
 

ENASNI

Senior Member
Oy Pixel, My head.. sorry really bad headacke.. and your state's statues .... well they are a joke.

What are you trying to do again? It sounds like you need to do a search of your state's abandonded personal property situations probably notices. You need to post notices about getting in there to inspect ( for that funny gas smell perhaps ??) I hate to be sneaky but if they are being so dense and bad .... well no I don't like that tactic but it will be introduced just go by the book ( THAT YOUR STAT HAS NOT WRITTEN !!) wirte your congressperson, I swear there Google up PA ( spell it out I cannot I have a headache Landlord tenant law or rights and see what you can do.) You should go by the book becasue you do not even know if your state is with you or against you because YOUR STATUTES SUCK... and this is where our declaration..... never mind I have done this before and my head is pounding.

Good luck.
Sorry Charlie.

Feel free to bump this up in the morning. Hopefully I will wake up from my painkillers to erase this rant.

Good liuck again.
 
Update:

Tenant has move a majority of items out of the unit. The unit still contains (as of the weekend) a torn sofa and a queen sized bed w/large box spring (new).

So the situation is getting better, at the same time I have no real place to store the items, and things may get dirty etc in the basement.
 
[BUMP] - eom.

We are now at the end of the month - furniture still in apartment and no sign of tenant.

Anyone there w/a bit of PA knowledge or experience on this subject?
 

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