Accounting for the sale of tenant’s abandoned personal property (Form B)
Landlords use Form B to calculate the proceeds from selling the tenant’s abandoned property at the end of the tenancy (lease) and inventory the goods sold after it’s been held in storage for 30 days.
Use Form B: Accounting of Sale of Abandoned Personal Property to calculate the proceeds from selling your tenant’s abandoned property at the end of the tenancy (lease) and inventory the goods sold.
If a tenant leaves personal property behind after a tenancy (lease) has ended, the landlord can sell or dispose of this property after receiving permission from the Residential Tenancies Program after it’s been held in storage for 30 days without being claimed by the tenants.
You need to sell the goods if they’re worth more than $500. If they are worth less than $500, you can choose to sell them or dispose of them in other ways. The goods have to be sold publicly if the goods are worth more than $500.
Who can use this form
Landlords need to use the form to calculate the proceeds from selling the tenant’s abandoned property at the end of the tenancy (lease) and to inventory the goods they sell.
You need to submit Form B within 10 days of selling your tenant’s abandoned personal property.
What you need to do
- Sell the goods publicly if they’re worth more than $500.
- Apply proceeds from the sale to unpaid rent, damages and storage costs.
- Complete the form.
- Keep a copy of the form for your records.
- Include payment with your form if there are net proceeds from the sale.
- Take your completed form to Access Nova Scotia within 10 days of selling the goods. You don’t have to complete the form if you dispose of the goods.
- The Public Trustee holds the net proceeds from the sale in trust under the tenant’s name.
How long it takes
It should take 2 to 3 months to complete the process. It can take longer if more information is needed or if your form hasn’t been filled in correctly.
Cost
There is no cost to submit the form, but if there are net proceeds from the sale, you need to include them when you submit the form. Make a cheque payable to the Public Trustee.
Before you start
Make sure you have:
- inventory of personal property that the tenant has left behind on Form A: Inventory of Tenant’s Abandoned Personal Property
- name of tenant
- date tenancy (lease) began and ended
- forwarding address or email address of tenant if known (or next of kin if unknown)
- total proceeds of sale
- expenses, including removal, storage and advertising
- amount awarded to the landlord by Order of the Director or by Order of the Small Claims Court
- witness available to sign the form
- list of goods in storage
- how you disposed of each item
- amount you sold any items for