What do you do? The left a lot of stuff, decent stuff. Yard sell? Maybe rent it furnished for a few hundred bucks more? Western union their deposit for return funds??
I’m at a loss here.
Consult your attorney. The landlord tenant law in your state/county probably has specific responsibilities and procedures for you to follow when dealing with abandoned property.
Perhaps the tenants were represented by an immigration attorney. That might be a good place for your attorney to start.
You may be surprised when the tenants suddenly reappear. I wouldn’t do a thing until their rent is due. Then try to contact other family members to see if they can store their furniture, etc. Can you call the tenants in their home country for info?
I always get an “Emergency Contact Name and Number” on leases. That’s because we once had to hospitalize a tenant.
I sure wouldn’t sell their stuff in a yard sale! You don’t have to be the Immigration Police. You just need to be a good landlord.
Furnishedowner
I’m not 100% sure, but I think that in NC you have to hold the stuff for 30 days giving the tenants an opportunity to retrieve it. After 30 days it’s considered abandoned property and you can do whatever you like with it. It’s not your responsibility to ship it but any security deposit left after storage and other costs should be returned if possible.
Consult an attorney who knows this stuff in your state…
I had this happen here in Texas. Son called me and said Dad got deported/arrested by immigration. Rest of the members moved out. They obviously missed the rent. I gave them 3 days notice and after that I filed eviction suite. Judge rule to give me posession back… and said give them 5 days to respond … property was mine … changed lock…rehabed… and now up for lease. I don’t have to give them their deposit back as they did not complete the lease terms and did not pay rent and they demaged the property. All four adutls now have eviction in their record… I am at loss but feel little good about that.
Your situation is little different so consult an attorney.
DFW
I know hindsight is 20/20 but next time its probably better to ask for immigration status on your application form.