What to do when a tenant leaves their personal belongings behind
Try to reach out to the tenant to arrange for them to collect their belongings, and keep a record of the attempts. Do not dispose of a tenant's belongings as they belong to the tenant. You may put the tenant's belongings in a safe and secure location while you wait for a Residential Tenancies Officer to tell you what to do with the belongings. Follow these steps:
Submit a Landlord Application for Assistance and keep your reference number.
Apply online, or send printed or digital copies of completed forms to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office by email to [email protected] by fax at 1-855-658-3096, by mail to PO Box 5001, Moncton, NB, E1C 8R3, or bring it to a Service New Brunswick service centre.
Prepare a list of abandoned belongings, their approximate value, and take pictures.
Send the list along with the pictures and amount of rent owing to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office byemail to [email protected], by fax at 1-855-658-3096, by mail to PO Box 5001, Moncton, NB, E1C 8R3, or bring it to a Service New Brunswick service centre.
Be sure to include the reference number of your Landlord Application for Assistance.
A member of the team will contact you to discuss next steps based on the information provided in your application.
Contact your landlord to as soon as possible to arrange to collect your belongings.
A landlord cannot withhold your belongings. Your landlord must release your belongings to you, even if there is money owing. If your landlord is owed money, they may file a claim against your security deposit with the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office or pursue other legal avenues.
If you were evicted, re-entering the rental unit without your landlord’s permission is trespassing.