Moreover, if the seller does leave things behind, your contract should specify that you now own those items, and you may dispose of those items as you see fit. You could even allocate an agreed upon amount of money that will be deducted from the sale to cover the cost of removing all the abandoned items. You may also consider a penalty provision under which the seller could owe you monetary damages if all their belongings are not removed in time. However, you have to anticipate that you may need to delay the closing or moving date, and/or file a small claims case for breach of contract if this occurs (which will be discussed further).
More often than not, the sellers are just as anxious as you are so they may have forgotten the items they were storing. A final walkthrough is your chance to make sure that the seller has upheld their part of the agreement. If not, there’s still time to let them know that the house needs to be completely cleared out before the moving date.
If you’re already faced with the issue of having your house full of the previous owner’s junk, there are still a few ways you can handle the problem.
Sellers who may have accidentally left their items, particularly those high-value ones, might agree to pick up their belongings. However, be wary of vague promises or “I’ll get those next week” arrangements, especially from owners who intentionally left their debris. If they didn’t show up after waiting for them to follow through, it’s a good idea to take photos of the items, get an estimate for the removal, and send them to the seller to pay.
