Property Left Behind by a Tenant in Southwest Florida
The tenancy is over. The unit still has a sofa, a mattress, half a bedroom of clothes, and a garage of things you did not know were there. You have a new tenant wanting to move in and every day it sits is a day you are not collecting rent. You would like to skip straight to a dumpster, and you have heard somewhere that you cannot.
Starting at $99 · free flat-rate quote before we start
When a tenant leaves belongings behind in Florida, there is a statutory notice process before a landlord disposes of them. Florida Statute 715.104 requires written notice describing the property, and a claim deadline at least 10 days out if delivered personally or 15 days if mailed. Clear the unit after the notice period, not before.
How it works
The notice comes first
Florida's Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act sets out a written notice to the former tenant, and to anyone else you reasonably believe owns the property. It has to describe the property well enough that the owner could identify it, say where it can be claimed and by when, and say that reasonable storage costs may be charged.
The clock is 10 days, or 15 by mail
Under 715.104 the claim date has to be at least 10 days after the notice is personally delivered, or at least 15 days after it is deposited in first-class mail. Notice goes to the last known address, and to any other address where you have reason to think they will actually receive it.
Then the unit gets cleared
Once the period has run and nothing is claimed, the removal itself is ordinary work: furniture, mattresses, clothing, appliances, and whatever is in the garage. Most single units are a few hours.
Turn it around for the next tenant
Removal, then whatever the unit needs to be rentable again. The point of moving quickly through the legal part is that the vacancy is the expensive bit, not the hauling.
The details that matter
Keeping belongings organized
Neatly grouped boxes and protected furniture remain indoors in a clean storage room.
- Tenant property cleanout
- Keeping belongings organized
An organized property clear-out
Two workers wheel a secured dresser toward the open door of a vacant rental home.
- Tenant property cleanout
- An organized property clear-out
Worth knowing before you start
This is a statute, not a custom
Florida Statute 715.104 sets the notice requirements and the 10-day and 15-day minimums. Getting the process wrong is the kind of thing that turns a cheap cleanout into a dispute, so it is worth doing in order even when the tenant has plainly gone for good.
We are not your lawyer
This page describes the process in general terms so you know what is ahead of you. It is not legal advice, and your situation may have wrinkles — a writ of possession, an abandoned-property clause in your lease, a tenant in bankruptcy. Ask a Florida real-estate attorney before you dispose of anything you are unsure about.
Photograph and inventory before removal
Photograph the unit and list what was there before it goes. If a former tenant later claims something valuable was disposed of, contemporaneous photographs are what settle it. Do this even when you are confident.
Some of it is not rubbish
Tenants leave usable furniture and appliances surprisingly often. Donating what is serviceable produces a receipt and reduces the volume you are paying to dispose of.
You may not need to hire anyone for this
The parts you can genuinely handle on your own. We would rather tell you than sell you.
- Send the statutory notice yourself — it is a letter, not a legal filing
- Photograph and inventory everything before anything is removed
- Check the lease for an abandoned-property clause, which may change what applies
- Keep proof of mailing, because the clock runs from it
- List anything genuinely valuable rather than disposing of it, and keep the record
Where tenant property cleanout comes in
- Full unit clear-outs once your notice period has run
- Furniture, mattresses, appliances, clothing, and garage contents
- Photographed inventory of what was removed, for your file
- Donation of serviceable items with receipts back to you
- Scheduling around a new tenant's move-in date
- Repeat work for landlords and property managers across Lee and Collier
Tenant Property Cleanout — starting at $99
Priced by volume, quoted before we start, and scheduled to close the vacancy fast once your notice period is done. Landlords and property managers with multiple units get simple consolidated invoicing — call (239) 494-3305.
Text us a photo and a quick description. We'll send a flat quote — usually within the hour.
Text Us a PhotoStarting pricesFrequently asked questions
Can I just throw the tenant's things out?
Not immediately. Florida Statute 715.104 requires written notice to the former tenant describing the property, saying where it can be claimed and by when, and noting that storage costs may be charged. The claim date must be at least 10 days out if hand-delivered, 15 if mailed. This is a general description, not legal advice — ask a Florida attorney about your specific situation.
What has to be in the notice?
Under the statute: a description of the property adequate for the owner to identify it, notice that reasonable storage costs may be charged, where it may be claimed, and the date by which the claim must be made. It goes to the last known address, and to any other address where you have reason to believe they will receive it.
The tenant is clearly never coming back. Does the notice still apply?
The process exists regardless of how obvious it seems. Following it is cheap; skipping it is what creates disputes. If you have a court order or unusual circumstances, ask your attorney whether anything differs.
How fast can you clear a unit?
Most single-family or apartment turnovers are a few hours, often same or next day once you are clear to proceed. Tell us when your notice period ends and we will schedule for the day after.
Do you work with property managers?
Yes, regularly, across Lee and Collier. Repeat turnover work, consolidated invoicing, and scheduling that fits a lease calendar rather than ours.
Related services
Whole-property cleanouts across Southwest Florida — we clear it all out.
Checkout was at ten, check-in is at four, and the cleaner has just sent you a photograph of a collapsed sofa bed and three bags of things a guest left behind. You are in Michigan. The next guests have already landed at RSW.
You closed on Friday. You walked in on Saturday expecting empty rooms and found a garage full of paint cans, a lanai of rusted furniture, a shed nobody mentioned, and a garment rack in the primary bedroom. Your movers arrive Monday. The sellers have stopped answering the phone.
Junk removal across SWFL — we load it, sweep up, and haul it away, often same-day when we have a truck open.
An extra set of hands for the heavy stuff — by the hour.
Bought it? We'll go get it and bring it home.
Need it fixed, moved, or hauled?
Call, text a photo, or send a quote request. Most jobs quoted same day.