Do I have a legal right to dispose of my deceased roommate’s personal property?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Do I have a legal right to dispose of my deceased roommate’s personal property?

My roommate passed away intestate, because of this I must vacate my current premises They passed on 7-26-10 I appear to have no legal standing in disposing of my friends personal property. I am mobility impaired and moving into an independent living facility. Can not store the property and don’t think I can simply have church members haul it away.

Asked on August 26, 2010 under Estate Planning, Iowa

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 13 years ago | Contributor

The simple matter is, the property is not yours so no, you have no right to dispose of it. Being a roommate gives you no legal right to or over it. Of course, if it's not yours, you don't need to take responsibility for it either, if you were not the landlord from whom your roommate was renting. While you probably should make an attempt to contact the roommate's family, who can then deal with it, if you and your roommate both rented from some third party, you could move yourself and your belongings out and leave your roommate's belongings for the landlord to deal with. That may not be an ideal solution, but it would be a legal one--you do not need to take responsibility for the dispositon of a roommate's property.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption