If my mother resided with me and chose to leave on her own but left personal property behind, do I have the right to change my locks and allow her 30 days to remove the rest of her property?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my mother resided with me and chose to leave on her own but left personal property behind, do I have the right to change my locks and allow her 30 days to remove the rest of her property?
She did not have a lease and never paid rent.
Asked on June 22, 2015 under Real Estate Law, Maryland
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
If she did not have a lease and did not pay rent, she was your guest, not a tenant. You may ask a guest to leave at any time, and if guest leaves--truly moves out, not just leaving for a trip or for work--you are under no obligation whatsoever to let them back in. If your mother moved out, even if she left some items behind, you may change the locks. You are also under no obligaton to indefinitely store her belongings. Give her 30 days written notice, sent some way (or preferably more than one way) you can prove delivery, to retrieve her possessions; then you may dispose of them.
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.