Example
Rent of $1,300 has been unpaid for 14 days, the tenant’s car is gone and neighbors say the tenant moved out. In California, the landlord can serve a notice of belief of abandonment; if the tenant does not respond within 15 days, or 18 if the notice was mailed, the landlord can treat the unit as abandoned. Belongings left behind must be stored and the former tenant notified before they are sold or thrown out.
In a lease it looks like…
If Tenant is absent from the premises for more than 14 days while rent is unpaid, and has removed substantially all personal property, Landlord may treat the premises as abandoned as permitted by law.
By state
The waiting period, the notice and the rules for stored belongings all come from state law. A landlord who guesses wrong and changes the locks on a tenant who has not left is carrying out a self-help eviction.
Plain English, not legal advice. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.