ex girlfriend won't remove belongs.. what now?

Question

Hi everyone! I'm going to be as to he point as possible so you don't have to read my sob story. .

I live in Minnesota. I rent a property from a friend of mine. There has only been a verbal rental agreement between the both of us. I moved my girlfriend in with me about two years ago. Her mother last year due to hardship.

We decided to call it quits as of July 15th. She has left and so as mom. There belongs have not... girlfriend helped with rent when she could. Also had two utilities in her name. Those have since been transferred back.

What, if any, tenant rights does she have? When or can I toss her belongings? If she has any rights, how long does she have to remove her property? What about joint purchases?

Thank you to people that have legit legal knowledge of this sort of issue. This is a huge lesson learned...

David S. · Answer

@Spencer Gordon

You could try calling HomeLine ( https://homelinemn.org/). They're a tenant advocacy group in Minnesota, and should be able to tell you what her rights are.

Fred Heller · Answer

Doesn't anyone throw the ex's crap out on the front yard anymore?

But seriously, I went through that myself a few years ago. I rented a locker at Public Storage (first month $1 special), had movers haul it away, sent a letter to the love shack saying "here's where your s**t is. Here's the combo. If it's not out in 30 days I'm calling Goodwill."

Most of it was out except for some furniture, including a full bedroom set. So I put an ad on Craigslist and donated it to a needy family. At least something good came out of it.

Dawn Anastasi · Answer

Tell her that you're in the process of putting her stuff on the curb and she can pick it up from there. See if that lights a fire under her.

Account Closed · Answer

I agree with Bryan- your roommate moved out and left a lot of stuff for you to deal with...so deal with it. You aren't under the same constraints that as a landlord.  She can't document what she left there.  Junk it, store it, sell it on craigslist.  She moved on. You move on.

Brian Ky · Answer

This is a great question.  Maybe there should be clarification on the question/answer though. To me it seems Spencer is a tenate by stating he is renting from a friend.  But many of the answers are for if he is the land lord. I think what Spencer is saying is what does a room mate do with property when the other room mate moves out and leaves property?

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

@Spencer Gordon

Very simple sign up for a judge JUDY show and air it on national TV that's what I would do

Randy E. · Answer

@Josh Bakhshi

As a landlord, I would want to stay away from this situation.  I rented the unit to one man.  That man took on two roommates who were not on my lease.  Those two roommates moved out and left their belongings.

Why would I get involved and try to evict non-legal tenants who are no longer living in my unit?  Leave it up to the legal tenant to figure out what to do with his ex's belongings.  I want no part of that mess.

@Spenser , I would call my ex and explain to her that she and her mother need to get their belongings within two weeks.  She took her name off the utilities and that's a big enough signal that she's moved out for good.  If you have her mailing address, send her a certified letter stating the same.  If you know where they moved and it's local, I would pack up the stuff and take it to her.  This is not legal advice, but personally, I wouldn't approach this as a legal situation -- it's a personal matter between two ex's.  Just communicate with her and figure this out.

Jamal White · Answer

Remove her stuff then bill her.

Spencer Gordon · Answer

No, I feel like it's more of a roommate situation. My ex and I broke up. She took small items over the course of two weeks. She was said, "I'll be there with a truck Saturday (yesterday) to get the rest"... tried all day to get a hold of her, nothing. She didn't contact me. So I feel like it's abandonment. There was no communication until her mom called and told me she (the mom) was picking her (the moms) things the 15th. So really, the other items may not go..

Kyle Hipp · Answer

I am in Wisconsin but I would say your ex is right. She established residence there, she had bills in her name, mail was directed to her there. You put your friend in a rough spot as I can only imagine that your friend was well aware that your girlfriend and her mom were living there. They are tenants and have the exact same rights as you.

It sounds like you are trying to act as their landlord in this scenario. I would simply follow the laws for removing tenants property that is left behind. Look up Minnesota law on this and follow it.

Wisconsin just changed the law recently stating that we can throw away, sell, burn, donate, do whatever we want with the vast majority of items left behind (minus motor vehicles and medical stuff). The requirement for the landlord though is that this needs to be spelled out in the lease, and again in renewal or termination documents. Otherwise we do have to store.

ex girlfriend won't remove belongs.. what now?

Most Popular Reply