Abandoned Tenant Property — the publication step landlords miss
After an eviction or a walk-away, California doesn't let a landlord just discard what the tenant left behind. Civil Code §1980-1991 sets the sequence — and if the property is reasonably worth $700 or more, it must be sold at public auction after a published notice of sale. Skipping the publication exposes you to liability for the property's value.
📰 Publish your notice of sale — $150 flat →Both weekly runs + signed affidavit · online any hourThe sequence under Civil Code §1980-1991
- Notice of Right to Reclaim Abandoned Property to the former tenant (and anyone else believed to be an owner), describing the items and where they can be claimed. Give at least 15 days if delivered personally, 18 days if mailed.
- Property claimed? Release it on payment of reasonable storage costs. Done.
- Unclaimed and worth less than $700 total? You may keep, sell, or dispose of it (CC §1988(a)).
- Unclaimed and worth $700 or more? Public auction required — after notice of the sale publishes once a week for two successive weeks (CC §1988(b), Gov. Code §6066), with the last publication at least 5 days before the auction. Publish it here — $150 covers both runs and the affidavit that proves you did it right.
- After the sale: deduct storage and sale costs; the balance goes to the county treasury, where the former tenant can claim it for one year.
Just finished an unlawful detainer?
If the sheriff's lockout came and went and the unit is full, the reclaim-notice clock starts with your notice, not the lockout. Eviction services and property managers handling volume: batch submission gets one consolidated invoice and electronic affidavits. And if the next case needs service of the summons by publication, that's $324.50 flat.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a landlord throw away property a tenant left behind in California?
- Only if, after the Notice of Right to Reclaim, the property is reasonably worth less than $700 total (CC §1988(a)). At $700 or more it must be sold at public auction preceded by a published notice of sale — once a week for two weeks — or the landlord risks liability for the property's value.
- How must the abandoned-property sale be advertised?
- Civil Code §1988(b) requires publication of the notice of sale once a week for two successive weeks (Gov. Code §6066) in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, with the last run at least 5 days before the auction. For Riverside County that's $150 flat at the court-adjudicated Hemet Chronicle.
- What happens to the auction money?
- The landlord deducts reasonable storage, advertising, and sale costs; the remainder is paid to the county treasury, and the former tenant has one year to claim it.
- How long must a landlord hold a former tenant's belongings?
- At least 15 days after personal delivery of the reclaim notice, or 18 days after mailing, before selling or disposing per CC §1988.
The Hemet Chronicle and San Jacinto Chronicle are court-adjudicated newspapers of general circulation for Riverside County (Superior Court Cases MCC2001316 / MCC2001738). We are a newspaper, not a law firm; this page is general information, not legal advice.