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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in California

In California, a landlord must give written notice describing property left after a tenant vacates, with a claim deadline at least 15 days after personal delivery (18 days if mailed); unclaimed property is sold at public sale unless worth less than $700, in which case it may be kept or disposed of.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

California at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, written notice
Holding period
15 days (18 if mailed)
The claim date must be at least 15 days after personal delivery of the notice or 18 days after mailing.
After the holding period
Public sale; keep or dispose if under $700
Sale proceeds left after storage, advertising and sale costs go to the county treasury, where the owner can claim them within one year.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in California

Does a landlord in California have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, written notice. Written notice required in California: yes, written notice.

How long must a landlord in California keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in California: 15 days (18 if mailed). The claim date must be at least 15 days after personal delivery of the notice or 18 days after mailing.

What can a landlord in California do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in California: Public sale; keep or dispose if under $700. Sale proceeds left after storage, advertising and sale costs go to the county treasury, where the owner can claim them within one year.

Where do the California tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Cal. Civ. Code 1983 and Cal. Civ. Code 1988. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The notice must tell the tenant that reasonable storage costs may be charged before the property is returned.

If the former tenant gave the landlord an email address, the landlord may also send the notice by email.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.