Eviction Cleanout Jobs for Landlords
Belongings left after an eviction
What a tenant leaves after a lockout is still legally their property for a while, which is why this job has a calendar attached. Book the hauler for day eight, not day one. In the meantime, photograph each room with a date stamp and keep a short list of what's there. If anything looks valuable, such as a TV, tools or jewelry, set it aside in case the tenant comes back for it. The cleanout itself is usually a mix of furniture, mattresses, clothing, food and bagged trash, sometimes with the fridge still full.
Apartment turnovers
Census figures show 45,787 of Winston-Salem's 108,695 occupied homes, or 42.1%, are renter-occupied. Not every turnover follows an eviction. Tenants who leave on their own still leave behind a couch, a mattress and closets of bags, and the City's bulky pickup skips apartments (how that program works). Abandoned units follow a different track: North Carolina presumes abandonment 10 or more days after you post a notice of suspected abandonment inside and outside the unit and get no answer. For apartment complexes, a standing arrangement with one hauler and a photo-first quote can get a unit ready for cleaners and painters on schedule.
Rental house cleanouts
Rental houses add the outdoors: a shed, a carport, a yard with tires and broken grills. Walk the whole lot before asking for a quote. Tires follow their own rules (tire disposal), and brush or limbs from the yard go to compost sites rather than the landfill (yard waste removal). A house left in poor condition may also need a cleaning crew or pest control after the hauler, so book those in order.
Why Winston-Salem homeowners call Winston-Salem Junk Co.
- Your request goes to a single independent hauler
- Hear the all-in figure before anything is carried out
- Calling is free; the hauler bills only the job you OK
- Mention stairs, a gate code or a hot tub when you call
North Carolina Rules for a Tenant's Left-Behind Property
These steps come from G.S. 42-36.2 and 42-25.9. This is a summary, not legal advice; talk to your attorney about a specific case.
- STEP01
The sheriff executes the writ
The sheriff gives the tenant notice of the approximate time and must execute the writ within 5 days of receiving it. If the tenant won't take their property, the sheriff may require you to pay for moving it to a storage warehouse plus one month's storage.
- STEP02
Seven days of holding
For 7 days after you're put in possession, you may move the property for storage but may not throw it away, dispose of it or sell it. If the tenant asks during that time, you must release it during regular business hours or at an agreed time.
- STEP03
Disposal or sale
After the 7 days, you may dispose of the property. To sell it instead, mail the tenant written notice at least 7 days before the sale; surplus proceeds go to the tenant on request and then to the county.
- STEP04
The low-value shortcuts
Property worth less than $500 in total is deemed abandoned after 5 days. Property worth $750 or less can go to a qualifying nonprofit that holds it for 30 days.
See foreclosure cleanouts when a bank or new buyer, not a landlord, holds the keys.