[Sooner76]

My step-son was recently arrested and is in jail. He also was not paying his rent. He had until last Friday to pay a portion and then until today to pay October's rent. This has not been done since he is in jail. We are not able to get his keys from him as he has not filled out the correct paperwork. Our problem is that he has some of our property (DVDs, TV, kitchen items) in his apartment. Is there a way for us to retrieve our property or will the apartment building seize it in lieu of rent?

[joypulv]

Property can't generally be seized in lieu of rent. They can, however, prevent you from going in because you are not the tenant. Your best bet is to try to talk to them and see what you can get, maybe with some ID showing your same last name, maybe even paying something toward his rent. Tenant law varies by state, but many states heavily favor the tenant and don't allow disposal of possessions for some amount of time after final formal eviction. So it will be in the landlord's interest to negotiate with you.