§521-56 Disposition of tenant's abandoned possessions. (a) When the tenant, within the meaning of section 521-70(d) or section 521-44(d), has wrongfully quit the premises, or when the tenant has quit the premises pursuant to a notice to quit or upon the natural expiration of the term, and has abandoned personalty which the landlord, in good faith, determines to be of value, in or around the premises, the landlord may sell such personalty, in a commercially reasonable manner, store such personalty at the tenant's expense, or donate such personalty to a charitable organization. Before selling or donating such personalty, the landlord shall make reasonable efforts to apprise the tenant of the identity and location of, and the landlord's intent to sell or donate such personalty by mailing notice to the tenant's forwarding address, or to an address designated by the tenant for the purpose of notification or if neither of these is available, to the tenant's previous known address. Following such notice, the landlord may sell the personalty after advertising the sale in a daily paper of general circulation within the circuit in which the premises is located for at least three consecutive days, or the landlord may donate the personalty to a charitable organization; provided that such sale or donation shall not take place until fifteen days after notice is mailed, after which the tenant is deemed to have received notice.

(b) The proceeds of the sale of personalty under subsection (a) shall, after deduction of accrued rent and costs of storage and sale, including the cost of advertising, be held in trust for the tenant for thirty days, after which time the proceeds shall be forfeited to the landlord.

(c) When the tenant has quit the premises any personalty in or around the premises left unsold after conformance to subsection (a) or otherwise left abandoned by the tenant and determined by the landlord to be of no value may be disposed of at the landlord's discretion without liability to the landlord. [L 1974, c 180, §6; am L 1981, c 154, §1]