Springfield mo · Member since 2026 · 3 posts · 3 votes
Hello! My tenants caused fire at my rental property on May , 2026. It is June 8th and the contents service their insurance company hired has made almost no progress. I need to get their stuff out of the way to begin remediation. I have never dealt with this and I am thinking about positing a 10 day notice for them to vacate for breaking their lease and doing to removal of their contents myself. What is your recommendation for getting their stuff out of the house so I can begin remediation?
2. Even if you think they broke their lease, if the issue is correctable your 10 day notice isn't generally to vacate (quit), its to correct the issue or vacate. For example, if a tenant doesn't pay rent, they have those 10 days to pay up.
So, even if you have a verifiable lease violation, you would likely need to give them an opportunity to correct the issue if it is correctable.
3. Did you communicate with the tenant or their insurance or the company hired to do this work? That is where I would always start.
4. I would get in writing from the tenant that the lease is being terminated and get the unit turned back over to you. In my state, I would have to hold the belongings up to 10 days, but possibly up to 30 if requested. However, if they requested 30 days, storage fees could be charged.
Check your state laws about how to handle tenant belongings after tenancy ends.
5. Talk to a lawyer. This is an unusual circumstance and since it isn't cookie cutter, you should get real professional advice.
6. Realize that this will not get resolved quickly and efficiently and don't let it stress you out.