A guy bought a riding lawn mower from me two years ago and has never come to get it. Is it mine again?
He paid me $1500 cash and I gave him a receipt, with my name, address, phone-number. He didn’t give me any information. He said he would be back in a month to get it. I have not used the mower at all. I have kept it in carefully stored for him. But I have no way to reach him. Of course, in my mind, it is always his, but I am moving and need to get rid of it. What is the proper thing to do?
August 11th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
If he bought it from you and has not claimed it then you can consider it abandoned property and have it taken off your land.
August 11th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
If you have no information to contact this person, if they’ve made no attempt to get ahold of you, you might want to look into your states laws regarding “abandoned property”. If you meet the requirements, i’d say you can keep it.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Try to contact him again, but legally under abandoned property laws it’s yours. It can vary from state to state but after this amount of time you should be good.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I would consider it abandoned property. I would keep the money until you can find him again and can return it to him. If after say 10 years then consider the cash abandoned if you have done everything you can to find him.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Then it’s yours again… and you can sell it with no reproach according to a principle called “Usucapio”
August 12th, 2010 at 12:45 am
I would run an ad in the paper stating the facts with out giving to much info,so as he would have to know where to come etc., giving him a time limit such as 30 days to come claim it and make him bring the receipt to claim it.That way he can’t say you sold it to him then moved with it before he could come and get it etc.If no one claims it sell it .You do not have to store this thing for ever.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:03 am
you have to make every honest attempt to get in contact with this man before you lay claim to the mower, where did he come from? ask around, he may be deceased, you also need to keep a record with proof that you did make an honest attempt to find him, post a few notices around the area, you must prove your attempts before you take off with the mower and the money, two years is a long time but be on the safe side
October 26th, 2011 at 3:44 am
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