My daughter and I entered into a shared rental agreement 7 months ago. Since we've been in this house, she has never completely paid her half of the rent or utilities as agreed upon. Approx. 2 months ago she moved out leaving her personal belonging behind, won't return my calls and basically stuck me with the complete rent.

Once I send a certified letter to "a possible address" where she maybe, if she doesn't respond in time specified by law, do I have the right to sell or possess her property in lieu of the breach of contract and financial bind she has placed me in?

Thank you,

This is your daughter? Sorry for whatever led to this condition of your relationship. If it is worth it to you to follow through with your plan, you probably should get a lawyer to advise you. It sounds like you have been wronged tremendously, but what about unconditional love? Two wrongs don't make a right, and I don't believe it will make you feel better in the long run.

Hello D:

You have the right to sue her for money. You DON'T have the right to keep her property. As long as she's a tenant (and she's a tenant until she's been legally evicted), you can't even dispose of her property.

Evict her legally. THEN put her things in a storage locker. Send her a certified letter telling her where her stuff is. Pay the first month.

excon

From your first post, selling her stuff sounded more like a vindictive punishment that you were considering to get even with your daughter. If you consider what you are doing to be tough love, I'll wish you future happiness from your actions. Unconditional love has nothing to do with the decisions a child makes, nor does it mean rescuing them from the consequences of those actions... in fact, tough love is letting them deal with the consequences that follow their actions. It does not mean to create additional negative consequences for them.