Urbana — Ch. 12.5 Landlord-Tenant Relationships § 12.5-22
Same—Abandonment
Operative Text
(a) The tenant shall be deemed to have abandoned the rental unit by being absent with visible intent not to return and with rent unpaid. (b) If the tenant abandons the rental unit, the landlord may take possession of the rental unit. (c) If the tenant abandons the rental unit or fails to remove his or her personal property from the premises after termination of a rental agreement, the landlord shall leave the abandoned property in the rental unit or remove and store all abandoned property from the rental unit. The landlord may charge the tenant for the actual costs of storage. The landlord may dispose of the property thirty (30) days after mailing written notice to tenant's last known address, if the tenant does not claim the property within that time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the landlord reasonably believes such abandoned property to be valueless or of such little value that the cost of storage would exceed the amount that would be realized from sale, or if such property is subject to spoilage, the landlord may immediately dispose of such property.
Urbana Ch. 12.5 § 12.5-22 establishes when a rental unit is considered abandoned — specifically, when a tenant is absent with an apparent intent not to return and has left rent unpaid. Once abandonment occurs, the landlord is permitted to retake possession of the unit. Any personal property left behind must either remain in the unit or be stored by the landlord, who may charge actual storage costs; after mailing notice to the tenant's last known address, the landlord may dispose of unclaimed property after 30 days, with an exception allowing immediate disposal of items that are valueless, worth less than storage costs, or perishable.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Urbana Ch. 12.5 § 12.5-22, compliant operators document the visible signs of abandonment — such as absence combined with unpaid rent — before retaking possession of a unit. When personal property is left behind, operators typically either leave it in place or remove and store it, keeping records of actual storage costs that may be passed on to the former tenant. Before disposing of any stored items, operators generally send written notice to the tenant's last known address and wait the required 30-day period, reserving immediate disposal only for property that is genuinely valueless, worth less than storage costs, or subject to spoilage.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Urbana Ch. 12.5 § 12.5-22 protects tenants by requiring landlords to store — rather than immediately discard — personal property left in a unit after a tenancy ends, and by mandating written notice before any disposal can occur. Tenants have a 30-day window after that notice is mailed to claim their belongings, and landlords may only charge actual storage costs. Tenants who believe a landlord has improperly disposed of their property or failed to follow the notice requirements of § 12.5-22 may wish to consult a local tenant-rights organization or seek guidance from the City of Urbana to understand available remedies.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 6, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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