A tenants personal property left behind - landlords obligation/opportunity

[Powersmithc]

Hello,

I have a tenant that just moved out and owes me several months of rent. I'm familiar with the small claims court and plan on starting that process. My question is about his personal property he left behind. He left a vehicle on my property that does not run. Is there anyway to hold this property until rents are paid? My gut instinct is probably not, I'm considering getting it fixed and even selling the vehicle if the tenant approved but it's unlikely they will allow that. 

 

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Alaskan landlord 

[Kassandra RPM Alaska]

Howdy @Powersmithc  

This is actually a great question because many tenants leave things behind.

Per Landlord-Tenant Laws in Alaska for personal items left behind in the premise - you are supposed to post/serve a 15-day notice. After the days are up you can sell, donate, or dispose of the items.  Now, a car is on the property but not the rented premises - so you might have other options available. I would ask a lawyer.  My gut would say to follow the 15-day policy.  I wouldn't try to hold anything hostage and I think the DMV has a rule of 30 days to claim it as yours so you could put it up for sale at that point.