What can a landlord do with a tenant’s belongings left behind in Vermont?

In Vermont, when a tenant abandons a dwelling unit and leaves property, the landlord must store it in a safe, dry, secured location and mail the tenant a written notice that it will be disposed of after 60 days, and property the tenant does not claim within 60 days after the notice becomes the landlord’s. The tenant claims the property by giving the landlord a reasonable written description of it and paying the fair and reasonable cost of storage and related expenses within 60 days after the date of the notice, and the landlord must then immediately make it available at a reasonable place. Trash, garbage and refuse may be disposed of. Property left after the tenant gave the landlord actual notice of vacating, or after the tenant vacated at the end of the rental agreement, may be disposed of without notice or liability. After an eviction, the landlord may dispose of property remaining in the unit without notice or liability 15 days after the writ of possession is served or the landlord is legally restored to possession, whichever is later; if the court stays execution of the writ, one day after the landlord is restored to possession. This is 9 V.S.A. § 4462; 12 V.S.A. § 4854a.

WhatVermont
Belongings left behindMail notice, then hold 60 days
What the statute requires firstNotice, a waiting period or storage before disposal

What the statute says

“… the landlord shall give written notice to the tenant mailed to the tenant’s last known address that the landlord intends to dispose of the property after 60 days if the tenant has not claimed the property …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

9 V.S.A. § 4462; 12 V.S.A. § 4854a

Read the statute in the Vermont Statutes (Vermont General Assembly): legislature.vermont.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

Compare this rule in every state

More Vermont rules

The same question in other states

Related