Question:
I had a tenant that stopped paying rent. After serving him an eviction notice, he disappeared and left furniture, books etc behind. It has since been a year, I have tried to contact him, but to no avail. Are the things he left behind considered hefker?
Answer:
Answer by Horav Y. Fleishman shlit”a
They are not hefker. However if he owes you rent you can take them as payment for the money he owes you. You should have them evaluated by three people how much they are worth. If you don’t want to take them you can sell part and use the proceeds to rent a locker to store them for him.
