What are a tenant’s rights with respect to stolen property?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

What are a tenant’s rights with respect to stolen property?

I live in an apartment building that has a basement shed. Recently my shed was broken into by the landlord for the electricians who had to do work. I was not aware of this. Also they never replaced my lock. Recently someone stole all the stuff out of it; about $400 worth of fishing poles. I called the landlord and he basically laughed. What are my options?

Asked on July 25, 2011 New Hampshire

Answers:

FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

Read your written lease if you have one between you and the landlord for the proerty you are renting. It may control the issue you ask about. If not, if your landlord gave you permission to store items in the basement shed and he or she knew about the storage by you, the landlord would be responsible for your stolen items in most circumstances.

The rationale is that the landlord's electricians (agents) had to break into the shed and did not replace the lock. The entry into the shed was never made known to you until after your items were taken by someone. The landlord had an obligation to replace the lock broken by his electricians. The absence of the lock resulted in your property being stolen.

Your options are to  make a demand for payment for the stolen items to be done in a set time, and if not paid by the landlord, consider a legal action against him or her. Do the demand in written form keeping a copy for future reference.

 


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption