Abandoned personal property of tenants

Pennsylvania Act 129 of 2012 provides rules regarding abandoned property of tenants.

Tenants are required to remove all personal property upon eviction or when they vacate the leased premises. Upon eviction or vacating, the landlord must give notice to the former tenant within ten days regarding their intent to remove the personal property. If the tenant contacts the landlord within ten days and notifies him or her that they want the property back, the landlord must keep the property for thirty days. The tenant may responsible for the costs of storing the property. If tenant fails to contact the landlord within ten days, the landlord may discard the personal property.

If the tenant leaves without a court order and/or giving notice of vacating, the landlord must provide written notice to the tenant that the personal property will remain on the property and must be retrieved within 30 days. A tenant then must provide written notice within 10 days of the notice postmark date that the tenant will be retrieving the property. If no notice is received within that 10 day period, the landlord may dispose of the personal property at his or her discretion.

If the landlord sells the personal property, any proceeds shall first go to the landlord for outstanding monies owed, with any balance refunded to the tenant via certified mail. If no forwarding address was provided, the landlord must keep the funds for thirty days, and may retain the proceeds if not notified by the tenant.