Tenant Left Belongings Behind in Newfoundland and Labrador

If a tenant leaves things behind, you cannot keep them, sell them or throw them out on your own timetable. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2018, once a unit counts as abandoned you must store the tenant's personal property safely for at least 30 days. You must also give an inventory to the director and, if you can find the tenant, to the tenant.

After the 30 days, you may apply to the director of the Residential Tenancies Office for permission to sell. Obvious garbage is the one exception: you can throw it out without asking. A landlord may never keep or sell belongings to cover unpaid rent or other money the tenant owes.

The process below applies to an abandoned unit. If the tenancy ended in another way and items were left, the government material used for this guide does not set out a separate process, so ask the Residential Tenancies Office before you dispose of anything.

The Act treats a unit as abandoned only when all three of these are true:

1. The tenant has moved out.
2. The rental agreement was not ended properly under the Act or the agreement.
3. Rent is overdue.

If rent is paid up, you cannot take possession even when the tenant seems to be gone. Late rent alone is not enough, according to the government abandonment policy. A tenant who is in hospital, in jail or away on a long holiday has not abandoned the unit.

Before you go in to take possession, post a notice in a conspicuous place on the unit at least 24 hours ahead. The government form is the Landlord's Notice of Abandonment. If the tenant says the unit is not abandoned, do not enter. Ask the office instead. You also still have a duty to limit your own losses, as with any tenant who leaves early.

If the tenant is still living there, see what to do when a tenant will not leave after notice. For the general question, see what to do if a tenant has abandoned property.

1. Post the notice. Put the Landlord's Notice of Abandonment on the unit at least 24 hours before you enter.
2. Make an inventory. List what was left. The government landlord FAQ also mentions printed photographs as part of the record.
3. Store the items safely. Storage can be off site or in the unit. Count the 30 days from the day you take possession and place the property in storage.
4. Send the inventory. It goes to the director and, if the tenant can be found, to the tenant.
5. Let the tenant reclaim. Within the 30 days the tenant can take the property back by paying the removal and storage costs.
6. Wait out the 30 days. Only then may you apply to the director for permission to sell.

The abandoned personal property policy and the landlord FAQ describe these steps. If you and the tenant agreed in writing about how belongings would be stored, that agreement can replace the default storage rules, so read your lease first. See also Newfoundland lease agreements.

Once 30 days have passed without the tenant or owner taking the property back, you may sell it, but only on the terms and conditions the director sets. The director may also authorize disposal of three kinds of items: those with no value, those that cost more to store than they would sell for, and those that are unsanitary or unsafe to store.

The sale money does not go to you directly. After your costs and any amount owed to you under an order are taken out, the proceeds go to the director. If no one claims them after one year, they are paid into the province's Consolidated Revenue Fund.

The FAQ is blunt on this point: a landlord must get approval from the Residential Tenancies Office before disposing of or selling abandoned personal property. The policy's garbage exception is for items that are plainly garbage. When in doubt, treat the item as property and ask.

• Keep or sell belongings to make up for unpaid rent, damage or any other debt. The Act forbids it, and the government guide says this applies regardless of what the tenant owes.
• Dispose of belongings before the 30 days are up, other than obvious garbage.
• Treat a late-paying tenant as gone when rent is current.
• Change the locks while the tenant is still using or occupying the unit, unless both sides agree.
• Treat a deceased tenant's belongings as abandoned. The tenant's personal representative stands in the tenant's place, and you should allow access once proof of that role is shown. If nobody represents the estate, a landlord can apply to the Supreme Court to have the Public Trustee appointed.

For a tenant who has simply gone quiet, read my tenant has disappeared before you act.

The tenant comes back and says they never left. The tenant may apply to the Residential Tenancies Office. Keep the notice, inventory and any photographs, because they show what you did and when.

The tenant wants the items back during storage. They can have them once they pay the removal and storage costs. Do not hold the items back over unpaid rent.

Nobody collects after 30 days. Apply to the director for permission to sell, rather than selling or dumping the goods yourself.

You are owed money. Apply to the Residential Tenancies Office for an order. An application for dispute resolution had a $20 filing fee in April 2026, so check the official page for the current fee before you file. For deposits, see the landlord deposit guide.

This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.