How to handle a tenant who's been evicted and moved out.

[Justin Frye]

Hello everybody so I'm having trouble on how exactly I should handle this specific situation. So my tenant was evicted on the 30th of June and has completely moved out without me having to red tag the door prior to her eviction. She didn't show up to court so i was awarded judgement and was told to consult an attorney in regards to going through the process. I haven't made any moves towards an attorney being how the tenant moved out on her own will, problem is is she hasn't turned in the keys for the old locks and still has a bunch of junk and furniture there. My question is is what's the best plan of action I should take in regards to getting rid of her stuff. I don't want to get sued for throwing her stuff out, but I've been in contact with her and it doesn't seem like she really cares about what was left in the house. She's been saying she is gonna get it, but I don't think she truly cares enough. I know I should probably consult a lawyer but I figured I'd ask and get some opinions on here to see if anybody has dealt with a similar situation. Is there any specific laws in Ohio that allow you to throw out what's left in the house after eviction? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance!

[Kim Meredith Hampton]

@Justin Frye GO ahead and download a copy of the landlord tenant laws in Ohio, this should help you with eviction procedures and after the fact when people leave "stuff/abandoned property" behind. 

In Florida, I make sure to have the sheriff meet me at the property every single time, no matter of they already vacated or not, so that I can get the Writ of Possession. After that, I can dispose of anything at the property. I have my guys remove anything left at the property while the sheriff is there to the nearest curb. I have my locksmith there as well to change the locks, no going back in after the sheriff has served the writ of possession to me. 

You really need to check with your  laws and/or an attorney, every state is different. Don't get yourself in trouble by missing one step.