Can my landlord throw away the things from a storage unit without notice?
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Can my landlord throw away the things from a storage unit without notice?
My landlord removed my things and threw them away out of my storage unit in the garage area without any notice or phone call. Come to find out we were in the wrong storage unit and ours was actually next to the one that had our belongings in it. The one that was supposed to be ours however has a lock on it and someone else’s things inside it. None of the storage units are numbered to the corresponding parking space and the two storage units straddle our parking space. They said the clean out abandoned units when no one lives in the apartment corresponding to that storage unit. Is this legal?
Asked on June 12, 2012 under Real Estate Law, California
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Your landlord by throwing away your personal belongings without notice was clearly able to do so, but what he or she did was improper under the laws of all states.
In essence, your landlord at best was "negligent" in discarding your items without placing you on notice first as to his or her intent. Your landlord is legally obligated to reimburse you the fair market value of the items that were discarded at the time of the incident. I suggest that you compile a list of the items taken, list their value, provide receipts and photographs showing the items and submit the documents to the landlord for reimbursement keeping a copy of the paper work for your records.
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