What can a landlord do with a tenant’s belongings left behind in District of Columbia?
In District of Columbia, a housing provider must send a notice confirming the eviction date at least 21 days beforehand, and an evicted tenant’s belongings must stay in the unit for 7 days after the eviction, excluding Sundays and federal holidays, while the tenant is given access to remove them, after which they are deemed abandoned and may be removed or disposed of. The advance notice goes by telephone or electronic message, first-class mail and conspicuous posting, and must warn that belongings left in the unit will be deemed abandoned 7 days after the eviction. On the eviction day the housing provider must mail a notice to any emergency contact and post one naming an agent who can grant access, and must give the tenant at least 16 total hours of access between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. over no more than 2 days, on a Saturday if asked, without charging rent or fees for the 7-day storage period. The housing provider must use reasonable care in storing the belongings and may not place abandoned property in an outdoor space other than a licensed disposal facility or lawful disposal receptacle, except while transporting it for disposal. The section does not apply to evictions carried out by the District of Columbia Housing Authority. This is D.C. Code § 42-3505.01a.
| What | District of Columbia |
|---|---|
| Belongings left behind | Warn 21 days ahead, then hold 7 days in the unit |
| What the statute requires first | Notice, a waiting period or storage before disposal |
What the statute says
“Any personal property of the evicted tenant present in the rental unit at the time of eviction shall remain in the rental unit for 7 days after the time of eviction, excluding Sundays and federal holidays …”
Quoted word for word from the section’s text.
Source
D.C. Code § 42-3505.01a
Read the statute in the Code of the District of Columbia (DC Council): code.dccouncil.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps a lease’s end date and every notice sent through it, with the date it went out, in the lease record — so the dates a rule like this one counts from are on file rather than remembered.
Guides on this rule
- Tenant Abandoned Property Laws by State — What a landlord must do with belongings a tenant leaves behind, with the notice and storage rule in each of the 43 jurisdictions that set one.
Compare this rule in every state
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