How long must a landlord keep a former tenant's belongings?

It depends on the state. In Florida the claim date is at least 10 days after personal delivery or 15 days after mailing; in Oregon the tenant has at least 5 or 8 days to call, then 15 days to remove; in Washington it is 45 days, or 7 days for property worth $250 or less.

Can I keep what a tenant left behind?

In Florida, yes, if you reasonably believe it is worth less than $500 and you followed the notice process. In Oregon, no: low-value property may be thrown away or given away, but not kept.

Can I charge the tenant for storage?

Usually yes. Florida and Oregon let you charge reasonable storage costs before release, and Washington lets you charge the lower of actual or reasonable moving and storage costs.

Tenant Left Belongings: FL, OR and WA Rules

You cannot just throw them out. Florida, Oregon and Washington each require a written notice first, then a waiting period, before you may sell, keep or dispose of what a former tenant left. Each state also sets a dollar line below which you may skip a public sale: under $500 in Florida, $1,000 or less in Oregon for ordinary belongings, and $250 or less in Washington.

The rules in three states

	Florida	Oregon	Washington
When it applies	Tenancy ended and the tenant vacated	Tenancy ended and the tenant left with no intent to return, or after the sheriff returns possession	Tenant defaulted on rent and abandoned the unit
Notice	Personal delivery or first-class mail to the tenant and anyone you believe owns items	Personal delivery, or first-class mail to the unit, any known P.O. box and any forwarding address	Reasonable efforts; first-class mail to the last known and any other known address
Waiting period	Claim date at least 10 days after personal delivery or 15 days after mailing	Contact date at least 5 days after personal delivery or 8 days after mailing, then 15 days to remove	45 days after the notice
Small-value line	Under $500: keep, sell or destroy	$1,000 or less: throw away or give away (not keep)	$250 or less: after 7 days, except papers, photos and keepsakes
Above the line	Public sale after two weeks of newspaper ads	Public or private sale	Sale; extra proceeds held for the tenant for one year

Sources: Florida Statutes 715.104, 715.105, 715.109 and 715.11; ORS 90.425; RCW 59.18.310. Other states set different rules.

Florida: the statutory notice form

Section 715.105 gives a notice form titled "Notice of Right to Reclaim Abandoned Property". It describes the items, says where they can be claimed, gives the claim date, and warns that storage and advertising costs must be paid first. It must also carry one of two statements: that unclaimed items will be sold at a public sale, or that because the property is believed to be worth less than $500, it may be kept, sold or destroyed without further notice. A locked trunk or box may be described as such without listing what is inside.

Following the process protects you. Under section 715.11, after you release or dispose of property as the statute provides, you are not liable for it to anyone you notified. Items you left out of the notice are not covered.

One exception: after an eviction, items removed under the sheriff's writ follow section 83.62 instead, as explained in the Florida eviction timeline.

Oregon: store with care, and you may not keep it

ORS 90.425 makes the landlord responsible for the property. After the notice, you must store it with reasonable care, in the unit, elsewhere on the premises or in commercial storage, and you may charge reasonable or actual storage and removal costs before release (not when the sheriff returned possession). You may promptly throw out rotting food and let animal control take abandoned pets. If the property is worth $1,000 or less, or so little that storage and a sale would cost more than it would bring, you may throw it away or give it to a nonprofit or an unrelated person, but you may not keep it for yourself.

Washington: the abandonment rule

RCW 59.18.310 applies when a tenant is behind on rent and shows by words or actions that they will not come back. You may then take possession of their things and store them somewhere reasonably secure, and mail the notice. The tenant may get them back before the sale by asking in writing and paying the lower of actual or reasonable moving and storage costs. After 45 days you may sell or dispose of everything, including personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes; with a total value of $250 or less you may act after 7 days, except for papers, pictures and keepsakes.

Worked example: one closet, three states

Example a made-up tenant leaves a dresser, a TV and a box of photos, worth about $300 together, and the owner mails a notice on Tuesday, December 1. In Florida the claim date must be at least 15 days after mailing, December 16; unclaimed, the owner may keep or discard everything because it is under $500. In Oregon the contact date must be at least 8 days after mailing, December 9; if the tenant calls by then, the owner must make the items available for 15 more days, until December 24, and if not, the owner may dispose of them but not keep them. In Washington, if the tenant abandoned the unit owing rent, the owner may dispose of the dresser and TV after 7 days, on December 8, but must hold the photos for the full 45 days, until January 15.

A move-out routine that avoids the problem

Ask for a forwarding address in writing before move-out.
Walk the unit the day keys come back and photograph anything left.
Write a plain list of items, with a value estimate and how you reached it.
Send your state's notice by the method it names and keep proof of mailing.
Store items safely and track your costs.
Do not apply proceeds or costs to the deposit until you check your state's rules on both.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping keeps the move-out date, the deposit held and every document for the unit with the property, and you can email the former tenant from DoorKeeping and keep the photos and your notice in the same place. Storage costs land in the right property's books. DoorKeeping gives no legal advice, so check your state's statute before you act.

Sources

Florida Statutes 715.104, Notification of former tenant of personal property remaining on premises, read Oct 30, 2026
Florida Statutes 715.105, Form of notice concerning abandoned property to former tenant, read Oct 30, 2026
Florida Statutes 715.109, Sale or disposition of abandoned property, read Oct 30, 2026
Florida Statutes 715.11, Nonliability of landlord after disposition of property, read Oct 30, 2026
Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 90 (ORS 90.425), read Oct 30, 2026
Washington RCW chapter 59.18 (RCW 59.18.310), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How long must a landlord keep a former tenant's belongings?: It depends on the state. In Florida the claim date is at least 10 days after personal delivery or 15 days after mailing; in Oregon the tenant has at least 5 or 8 days to call, then 15 days to remove; in Washington it is 45 days, or 7 days for property worth $250 or less.
Can I keep what a tenant left behind?: In Florida, yes, if you reasonably believe it is worth less than $500 and you followed the notice process. In Oregon, no: low-value property may be thrown away or given away, but not kept.
Can I charge the tenant for storage?: Usually yes. Florida and Oregon let you charge reasonable storage costs before release, and Washington lets you charge the lower of actual or reasonable moving and storage costs.