Abandoned Property Laws in Pennsylvania 2025
What landlords must do with personal property left behind after eviction or abandonment, under 68 P.S. § 250.505a
10-day notice after writ; landlord may then remove and sell property.
When a tenant moves out and leaves belongings behind, Pennsylvania landlords cannot simply toss them to the curb. Since late 2014, 68 P.S. § 250.505a, the abandoned-property section of the Landlord and Tenant Act, sets a specific notice-and-storage sequence you must follow before disposing of anything. Get it wrong and a tenant can recover treble damages, attorney fees, and court costs, so the ten-day and thirty-day clocks below are worth running to the letter.
There is no federal law telling a private landlord how to deal with a departed tenant's possessions; the default everywhere is state statute plus common-law rules on bailment and conversion. Pennsylvania replaced that murky common-law guesswork with a clear statutory path, and this page walks through it.
Step-by-Step: Handling Abandoned Property in Pennsylvania
Follow these steps precisely to protect yourself from liability under 68 P.S. § 250.505a:
- Document the abandoned property immediately. As soon as you regain possession of the unit, conduct a thorough walk-through. Take dated photographs and video of all items left behind. Create a written inventory listing each item, its approximate condition, and estimated value. This documentation is your primary protection against later claims.
- Send required written notice. Mail or deliver written notice to the tenant's last known address and any forwarding address you have on file. Under 68 P.S. § 250.505a, you must give 10 days notice before disposing of or selling the property. The notice should describe the items, their location, and the deadline for retrieval.
- Secure the property during the notice period. While storage is not legally required in Pennsylvania, keeping items in a secure location establishes a clear paper trail and protects potentially high-value items from claims of damage or disappearance.
- Assess the property. Even without a statutory value threshold, document estimated values for each item. If items appear potentially valuable, consider a public sale to maximize recoverable costs and minimize dispute risk.
- Apply sale proceeds to costs. After the notice period expires and any required sale is conducted, apply proceeds first to unpaid rent, then to storage costs, then to sale costs. Remit any remaining balance to the tenant. Keep detailed records of all calculations.
- Retain all records for at least 3 years. Keep your written inventory, photographs, notice letters, delivery confirmations, storage receipts, sale records, and proceeds accounting. If the tenant later claims improper handling, this documentation is your defense.
When property counts as abandoned
You cannot treat belongings as abandoned just because they are still sitting in the unit. Under 68 P.S. § 250.505a, the property is only deemed abandoned when one of these triggers is met:
- The tenant vacated after a written lease was terminated.
- An eviction order or order for possession was entered in your favor and the tenant vacated and removed substantially all of their property.
- An eviction order or order for possession was executed (the tenant was locked out through the constable/sheriff process).
- The tenant gave you written notice of a forwarding address, then vacated and removed substantially all of their property.
- The tenant left without indicating any intent to return, rent is more than 15 days past due, and you have posted the notice of the tenant's rights.
Two of these hinge on the tenant removing "substantially all" of their possessions, so a unit still full of furniture usually does not qualify under those prongs, lean on the eviction-execution or lease-termination triggers instead.
The required written notice
Before you remove or dispose of anything, you must give the tenant written notice of their rights to the property. The statute is specific about delivery: send it by first class mail to the tenant at the leased-premises address and to any forwarding address the tenant gave you, including any address the tenant provided for emergency purposes.
The notice tells the tenant that they have 10 days from the postmark date to retrieve the property or to contact you and ask that it be retained or stored. Keep proof of mailing and a copy of the exact notice, the postmark date starts the clock, and you will want to document it if the tenant later disputes the timeline.
The 10-day and 30-day clocks
Two deadlines run off that notice:
- 10 days from the postmark, the tenant's window to either collect the items or request storage.
- Up to 30 days from the date of the notice, the maximum you must hold property if the tenant asks you to store it.
If the tenant requests storage, you hold the property for up to 30 days, at a place of your choosing, and the tenant is responsible for the storage costs. Throughout, you must use ordinary care in handling and securing the goods and give the tenant reasonable access to retrieve them. If the tenant never responds within the 10 days, you are not obligated to store anything beyond that point.
Disposal, sale, and proceeds
Once the applicable window closes. 10 days with no response, or the end of a requested storage period of up to 30 days, you may dispose of the property at your discretion. One hard limit: you may never dispose of or exercise control over property that remains on inhabited premises without the tenant's express permission. The abandonment triggers exist precisely because the tenant has left.
Unlike some states, Pennsylvania's statute does not impose a formal public-auction-and-accounting scheme. There is no statutory requirement to sell the goods, apply the proceeds to unpaid rent, and remit any surplus to the tenant. You can donate, discard, or sell items as you see fit after the deadline. If you do sell, keeping a simple record of what was sold and for how much is prudent risk management, even though the statute does not compel a proceeds accounting.
What happens if you skip a step
The enforcement teeth here are sharp. A landlord who violates § 250.505a is subject to treble damages (three times the tenant's actual loss), plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. Because attorney fees are recoverable, even a modest amount of destroyed property can turn into a case a tenant's lawyer is willing to take.
The two most common ways landlords get caught: disposing of items without ever sending the first-class notice, and moving too fast, clearing the unit before the 10-day window runs. Follow the sequence in order, confirm the abandonment trigger, mail the notice, wait out the 10 days, honor any storage request up to 30 days, and document each step.
Related Guides for Pennsylvania Landlords
This overview is grounded in the text of 68 P.S. § 250.505a, Pennsylvania's Disposition of Abandoned Personal Property statute, as enacted through Act 129 of 2012 and amended by Act 167 of 2014. Day counts, the first-class-mail notice requirement, the storage-cost allocation, and the treble-damages remedy are taken directly from the statute. It is general information, not legal advice; abandonment disputes are fact-specific, and edge cases, such as property left on still-inhabited premises or goods removed mid-eviction, warrant review with a Pennsylvania landlord-tenant attorney before you dispose of anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
What statute governs abandoned tenant property in Pennsylvania?
68 P.S. § 250.505a, the Disposition of Abandoned Personal Property section of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. It was added by Act 129 of 2012 and took its current form after Act 167 of 2014, so the framework has been in force since late 2014.
How long does a tenant have to retrieve property after notice?
10 days from the postmark date of your written notice. Within that window the tenant must either collect the belongings or contact you to request that they be retained or stored.
How long must a Pennsylvania landlord store abandoned property?
If the tenant requests storage within the 10-day window, you must retain the property for up to 30 days from the date of the notice. Storage is at a location you choose, and the tenant is responsible for the storage costs.
How do I have to send the abandoned-property notice?
By first class mail to the tenant at the leased-premises address and to any forwarding address the tenant provided, including any address given for emergency purposes. Keep proof of mailing so you can show the postmark date that starts the 10-day clock.
Do I have to sell the property and give the tenant the proceeds?
No. Pennsylvania's statute lets you dispose of the property at your discretion after the deadline and does not require a public sale or a proceeds accounting to the tenant. That is different from states with formal auction-and-surplus rules. Keeping a record of any sale is still sensible.
What is the penalty for disposing of a tenant's property improperly?
A landlord who violates 68 P.S. § 250.505a is subject to treble damages plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. Because attorney fees are recoverable, even small violations can become costly claims.
Statutory citation: 68 P.S. § 250.505a. Laws current as of 2025, verify against your state's current statutes before acting. Last updated August 28, 2026. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for your specific situation.