Nanny left personal property in my home when she quit

[Anonymous]

When is property, left in your home by a nanny, considered abandoned in Virginia?

We live in Virginia. My live-in nanny quit with no notice the other day. She removed most of her items from my home but left a decent amount of things (some of which are heavy to move - desks, desk chair, exercise equipment, etc....). She said she would be back to retrieve her items but she has not. It's been 3 days. We have two potential new nannies coming to see our home this weekend. I'd like to show them their potential living space but right now it looks like a junkyard of our previous nannies stuff.

How long do I have to act like a storage facility for a nanny who quit? If I put her items on the curb and they get damaged by rain or something, and/or picked up by trash, am I liable for them? We keep calling and texting her to no avail. When is property in VA considered abandoned? Does anyone know?

[Anonymous]

I'm not 100% sure it's the same but VA tenant law says property is considered abandoned after 24 hours of a lease being terminated.

[Anonymous]

Some of the things (desk, desk chair) might be helpful for future nannies. I wouldn't be quick to toss those

[Anonymous]

Call or text her and ask her to pick up remainder of property within 48 hours or you will dispose of it . it doez not sound as though you parted on good terms and she may be afraid to come back to your house.

[Anonymous]

The PP is right about 24 hours after the lease terminating, but you may not have had a lease. When our roommate moved out anything that he left became "ours" after 30 days meaning we could throw it away if we wanted to. I'm not sure if this would be the same in a nanny situation or not.

She has a lot of nerve quitting without notice and still leaving items behind, and I wouldn't be surprised if you never see her again. I would clean up the room as best I can (clean up trash, organize things, put stuff into bags, etc.) just so that it is accurately represented to future nannies. If possible, can you disassemble furniture for storage in the garage or basement?

[Anonymous]

Ask Judge Judy.

I would love to see this case on her show.

[Anonymous]

I once left a futon in an apartment I vacated in my early 20's. They charged me a fee for every day I left it there up to three days and then added a clean up fee for having to take it out. Cost me nearly $300. Moral of there story - there is no free lunch. I suggest amending your contract to cover this possibility in the future.