A closet doesn’t function without hangers and landlords don’t exist without tenants. Allowing items to stay behind when a tenant leaves can be useful for you as well as the incoming tenants. Did they have great curtains that fit the space perfectly? Ask to buy them and your property looks better in pictures and more appealing to tenants. As a landlord you have the power to stop a lot of unnecessary waste and make your property a better place to live. Everyone can use cleaning supplies so why have tenants throw them away when they can be part of the apartment? So many things are tossed into landfills simply because landlords want the apartment completely empty, but what landlords really want are properties which are kept in good condition by good tenants. Do your part in building that relationship and be a good landlord.

Start the conversation early and depending on your apartment, you can approach it a few different ways. If you purchased large items that fit perfectly in the apartment reach out to your landlord and ask if you could contact the next set of tenants because the furniture looks so great where it is. You can also ask if the landlord would be interested in purchasing any items that really make the apartment better like kitchen islands or cabinets that fit odd spots. During the month of your move out approach them again about items like hangers, swiffers, and open cleaning supplies. Mention how you hate to throw away all these useable goods and how much you wish they were present when you moved in. See if it would be ok to leave those items behind. As a landlord I suggest starting the conversation early and focus on the positive. Things like “looks great in the apartment” “really fits with the home” “in great clean condition” are the phrases you should stick to. Let us know how it goes!

If you live around Tulane and Loyola in New Orleans please contact us at Greeningnola@gmail.com. If you live outside our small pilot area please refer to our resources on this website and send them to the tenants and landlords of those properties.

Yes! Please steal away, duplicate, rework and in general run with anything we have here. Please do give credit and link back to us because we want to know where these ideas go!