No next of Kin – what do I now do with contents?
4:25 PM, 5th September 2016, 10 years ago
2
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My tenant died 3months ago and no one has come forward to claim any of the deceased property. Sadly my wife and I were the only people to attend his funeral.
Where do I stand legally I want to empty the contents from the flat. The deceased was an elderly gentleman and the contents and furniture are old and of no real value.
In fact the flat may have been let as furnished by my wife’s parents who we inherited it from.
Many thanks
Steve
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Member Since February 2011 - Comments: 3454 - Articles: 286
4:45 PM, 5th September 2016, About 10 years ago
Mark has unfortunately had a tenant pass away before, but we have not run across this scenario with no one to pass the personal possessions too.
Hopefully a reader can help us out on this.
Member Since December 2013 - Comments: 16
10:03 AM, 6th September 2016, About 10 years ago
My understanding is that you can empty the contents of the flat but need to store them for a period (I believe 2 months) in case somebody makes a claim on them. From what you say, there is very little value in the furniture but it may be a different matter with personal belongings.
If it was my property I would photograph the furniture and make a list of the items and then dispose of them. If somebody makes a claim within the 2 months then you may have to pay compensation but this is not likely to be very much and would be offset by the fact that you have been able to relet the flat.
With personal belongings which may have a sentimental value, I would store these for a minimum of 2 months and perhaps longer as they are not likely to be too bulky and you could then pass them over if somebody proves they have a claim to them.