Full question:
My fiancee's friend asked if we could hold some of her belongings while she temporarily moved to another state. We were expecting to hold the items for a couple of months, but now she says that she is not coming back. She will not pay for us to ship them to her and she will not pay for a storage center to hold her items. Is she right to expect us to hold her things indefinitely, and if not, what can we do with the items that are cluttering our house?
- Category: Abandoned Property
- Date:
- State: Alabama
Answer:
When you agree to hold someone else's property without compensation, it creates a legal relationship called bailment. In this case, since you are not being paid, it is a gratuitous bailment. As the bailee, you must take reasonable care of the property.
If the owner abandons the property, local laws regarding abandoned property apply. These laws vary by location but generally require you to notify the owner at their last known address. The notice should specify a time limit for them to retrieve their items before you can sell or dispose of them.
I recommend contacting your local police department to learn about the specific abandoned property laws in your area.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.