So, your tenant recently vacated your Salinas rental property, and from the minute that you opened the front door to inspect the property, it’s become clear that they left some things behind.

In this article, we will provide you with tips to follow when a tenant leaves things behind just so you will know how to handle this situation properly.

Tip #1 – Determine What Should Be in The Rental, And What Was Left Behind

Was your Salinas rental property partially furnished or did it come with appliances? After your tenant has moved out you must complete a thorough inspection of your rental property to determine what’s been left behind in accordance with your lease.

Once you’ve determined which items were in the rental property before it was rented, and which belongings are your former tenants, you should store the items that belonged to your former tenant and give them time to return and claim those items.

Tip #2 – Clean Up Any Obvious Trash or Garbage

After removing any items that may have been left by your former Salinas California tenant at your rental property you should also remove any trash or garbage that may have been left in the unit as well.

Trash or garbage is often easy to spot (especially if it’s rotting food) and should be removed immediately because you don’t want to encourage “critters” to visit the rental property in search of food.

Tip #3 – Remove Any Fixtures That May Have Been Left in The Property

Last of all, but most important, if your tenant neglected to remove fixtures that they installed in the rental property while they lived there, those fixtures should be removed because this is what your former tenant’s deposit should be used for.

Let’s say that you like the fixtures that were added to the property by your former tenant, those fixtures legally become “your property” and do not have to be returned to your former tenant.

Contact 36 North Property Management

To learn more about what to do when a tenant leaves stuff behind, or to speak with us about our property management services, contact 36 North Property Management today by calling us at (831) 484-4604 or click here to connect with us online.