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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Indiana

In Indiana, after winning possession a landlord may get a court order to remove a tenant's property to a warehouse or storage facility, with the order and storage location served on the tenant, and the facility may sell property not claimed within 45 days after that notice.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Indiana at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, served with the removal order
The court order and the identity and location of the storage facility must be personally served on the tenant.
Holding period
45 days after notice
After the holding period
Storage facility may sell it
The facility must release exempt property to the owner on demand without requiring payment at that time.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Indiana

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

Yes, served with the removal order. Written notice required in Indiana: yes, served with the removal order. The court order and the identity and location of the storage facility must be personally served on the tenant.

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

Holding period in Indiana: 45 days after notice.

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

After the holding period in Indiana: Storage facility may sell it. The facility must release exempt property to the owner on demand without requiring payment at that time.

Where do the Indiana tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Ind. Code 32-31-4-2, Ind. Code 32-31-4-3 and Ind. Code 32-31-4-5. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

This procedure applies after a court awards the landlord possession of the unit.

Separately, a landlord is not liable for loss of personal property that a reasonable person would conclude the tenant abandoned when vacating.

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.