Not on day one. In Washington, California and British Columbia you give written notice, store the property and wait out a clock first. The clock and the value threshold vary: $250 and 7 or 45 days in Washington, $700 and 15 or 18 days in California, $1,000 and 30 days in BC. This is information, not legal advice.
Can you throw out what a tenant left behind?
Only after the steps the law sets. All three treat left-behind property as the tenant's until notice goes out and a waiting period runs. Washington's rule is RCW 59.18.310 and covers a tenant who abandons with rent unpaid. California's is Civil Code 1983 to 1988. BC's is Part 5 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation.
What are the rules in Washington, California and BC?
| Jurisdiction | Notice | Clock | Low-value rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Mailed to the last known address and any other known address, naming the storage place and sale date | Sale or disposal 45 days after the notice | $250 or less: 7 days, except papers, pictures and keepsakes |
| California | Written, describing the property and where to claim it, with a mailed copy to the vacated unit | Claim date at least 15 days after hand delivery or 18 after mailing | Under $700: keep or dispose; otherwise public sale |
| British Columbia | 30 days' notice of disposition to the tenant and any secured creditor, also published in a local newspaper | Store safely for at least 30 days | Under $1,000 with no personal value: the storage duties do not apply |
What about photos and personal papers?
This is where the value threshold stops helping. Washington's seven-day shortcut for property worth $250 or less excludes personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes, so those wait the full 45 days. BC applies its storage duties to anything of personal value whatever the price, naming medical equipment, photographs and items the tenant has told you in writing matter to them.
A worked example: a couch, kitchen boxes and photos
A tenant moves out and leaves a worn couch, three boxes of kitchen things and a shoebox of photographs. Call the lot $300.
In Washington, assuming abandonment with rent unpaid, store it somewhere reasonably secure and mail the notice. The lot is over $250, so the 45-day clock covers everything. Under $250, the couch and boxes could go after 7 days and the photos would still wait 45. A tenant who asks in writing before the sale gets it back after paying drayage and storage, actual or reasonable, whichever is less.
In California, mail the notice with a claim date at least 18 days out, plus a copy to the vacated unit. At $300 you can reasonably believe the lot is worth under $700, so the notice carries the under-$700 statement and unclaimed items may be kept or disposed of. Above $700 it goes to public sale after a newspaper notice.
In BC the lot is under $1,000, but the photos have personal value. They get the 30 days of safe storage, the written list and the notice of disposition, and you keep the records for two years.
How do you keep it from costing you a turn?
The clock runs on the property, not the unit, so move the property out. Washington and BC both let you store it elsewhere, and California's notice simply names where it can be claimed. Photograph everything before you move it, write the list the same day and mail the notice that afternoon.
Then show the unit while the storage clock runs. Our move-out playbook covers running make-ready and re-leasing in parallel. LetHub answers rental inquiries in about 30 seconds by text, chat and phone and books ID-verified showings, so leasing keeps moving while the paperwork waits. If that is where your vacant days go, book a demo.
Belongings left after move-out: FAQ
How long do you have to keep a tenant's belongings in Washington?
Forty-five days from the notice of sale or disposal, under RCW 59.18.310(2). If the property is worth $250 or less in total, seven days, except personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes, which still wait 45. The notice goes by first-class mail to the last known address and any other address you know.
What is the $700 rule in California?
If the landlord reasonably believes unclaimed property is worth less than $700, Civil Code 1988 allows keeping it or disposing of it once the claim date passes. The notice must say so, in the wording section 1984 sets out. Worth more, it goes to public sale after a newspaper notice, and leftover proceeds go to the county.
What counts as abandoned property in BC?
Property is abandoned when the tenancy has ended and the tenant has moved out. It can also be abandoned after a month of unpaid rent with no one living there, or when the tenant has removed almost everything, but only if they said they are not returning or a return is unreasonable to expect.
Can the landlord keep the sale money?
Only what the tenant owes. Washington lets the landlord apply proceeds to money due, including storage, and hold the rest for the tenant for one year. California deducts storage, advertising and sale costs and pays the balance to the county. BC covers costs and money owed and sends the rest to the Unclaimed Property Act administrator.
