English
EspañolI had to leave some of my things behind when I moved. How long does my landlord have to keep my property for me?
If you leave personal property in your unit when you move out, your landlord is allowed to remove it and put it into storage. S/he must let you know that the property is considered abandoned and store it for you for 15 days. To get your property back, you may be required to pay the landlord the same amount of money that s/he actually spent to move and store your property.1
If you can provide proof that the property was left behind for one of the following reasons, your landlord must keep your property for 30 days, instead of 15 days:
- you are a victim of domestic violence;
- you were in the hospital for more than a short time; or
- the tenant who owned the property has died and you are his/her immediate family member.2
The proof you give your landlord must be either:
- a copy of a police report or protection order to prove domestic violence;
- a statement from a medical provider to prove an extended hospital stay; or
- a copy of an obituary or a death certificate to prove the tenant died.2
Note: There are many more rules about how the landlord has to notify you, what types of property the landlord has to keep, and when the landlord is allowed to sell the property or otherwise get rid (dispose) of it. For a complete list of rules, please read section 78B-6-816 on our Selected Utah Statutes page.
1 UT ST § 78B-6-816(2)(a), (2)(b)(i)
2 UT ST § 78B-6-816(7)
