What does a condo building or HOA do with items left in common areas and storage lockers?

Document what was left behind and then follow the HOA’s abandoned-property notice rules. Once you do that, you can have the items removed by a professional junk removal crew.

If you’re a property manager or part of a condo board, this is important: you need to document what you have before anything is hauled away. First, record what was left and where you found it. Then follow the condominium documents and applicable state rules around notifying the owner.

Going through this process gives the owner an opportunity to claim the property if they want it. Notice periods vary, though, so defer to your association's established process. Common areas and storage lockers need to be treated differently. You don’t want furniture or boxes left in a hallway. That can turn into an access or egress problem, and it’s not something the fire marshal would be thrilled to see. For that reason, items in a basement cage, bike room, or storage locker are a lot more likely to raise ownership questions than items simply left in a common area.

Once the association is cleared to remove the items, a property-management junk removal crew can do the lifting for you. A crew can take care of everything from furniture to boxes of assorted items. If it’s not hazardous, they can probably take it, even if it’s in a basement you can only get to through stairs or an attic that you can only get to through a ladder.

This can also be useful as recurring property maintenance. Buildings that accumulate abandoned items during moves and tenant turnover often benefit from clearing those areas periodically instead of waiting until years of material have built up.

Ready to clear the common areas or storage spaces? Schedule your pickup online. The Junkluggers of Southeastern MA & RI serves Providence, Attleboro, Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Plymouth, and surrounding communities.