Wisconsin Statutes 704.055 – Disposition of personalty left by trespasser
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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 704.055
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, things in action, evidences of debt and energy. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
(1) Definition. In this section, “trespasser” means a person who is not a tenant and who enters or remains in residential rental property without the consent of the landlord or another person lawfully on the property.
(2) At the landlord’s discretion.
(a) If a trespasser is removed or otherwise removes from residential rental property and leaves personal property, the landlord shall hold the personal property for 7 days from the date on which the landlord discovers the personal property. After that time, the landlord may presume that the trespasser has abandoned the personal property and may dispose of the personal property in any manner that the landlord, in the landlord’s sole discretion, determines is appropriate but shall promptly return the personal property to the trespasser if the landlord receives a request for its return before the landlord disposes of it.
(b) If the landlord disposes of the abandoned personal property by private or public sale, the landlord may send the proceeds of the sale minus any costs of sale and, if the landlord has first stored the personal property, minus any storage charges to the department of administration for deposit in the appropriation under s. 20.505 (7) (h).
(3) Rights of 3rd persons. The landlord’s power to dispose as provided by this section applies to any personal property left on the landlord’s property by the trespasser, whether owned by the trespasser or by others. The power to dispose under this section applies notwithstanding any rights of others existing under any claim of ownership or security interest. The trespasser, other owner, or any secured party has the right to redeem the personal property at any time before the landlord has disposed of it or entered into a contract for its disposition by payment of any expenses that the landlord has incurred with respect to the disposition of the personal property.