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

In Wisconsin, when a tenant moves out or is evicted and leaves personal property, the landlord may presume it is abandoned, unless a written agreement says otherwise, and dispose of it in any manner the landlord considers appropriate, provided the landlord gave the tenant written notice on entering into or renewing the rental agreement that it will not store property left behind. Prescription medication and prescription medical equipment must be held for 7 days from the date the landlord discovers it and returned promptly if the tenant asks before it is disposed of. Before disposing of a manufactured home, mobile home or titled vehicle, the landlord must give notice of the intent to dispose of it to the tenant and to any secured party the landlord knows of, personally or by regular or certified mail. If the landlord sells the property, it may send the proceeds, minus costs of sale and any storage charges, to the department of administration. The tenant or a secured party may redeem the property at any time before the landlord disposes of it or contracts to do so, by paying the landlord’s expenses. A landlord who has not given the written no-storage notice must follow the 2009 version of the section instead. When delivering a writ of restitution, the landlord may tell the sheriff that the landlord will be responsible for removing and storing or disposing of the property under the same rule. This is Wis. Stat. §§ 704.05, 799.45.

WhatWisconsin
Belongings left behindMay dispose at once if the lease notice was given
What the statute requires firstNo waiting period before disposal

What the statute says

“… the landlord may presume, in the absence of a written agreement between the landlord and the tenant to the contrary, that the tenant has abandoned the personal property and may, subject to par. (am) and s. 799.45 (3m) , dispose of the abandoned personal property …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

Wis. Stat. §§ 704.05, 799.45

Read the statute in the Wisconsin Statutes (Wisconsin State Legislature): docs.legis.wisconsin.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.

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