My Ex Won’t Pick Up her Stuff from the House; What Should I Do?
Lots of weird things happen in Utah divorces.
One of the stranger things is when people fight for personal property (i.e., clothes, TVs, furniture, beds, etc.) and then never come pick it up.
It happens more often than you would think.
I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s laziness, maybe it’s lack of time, maybe someone simply can’t deal with seeing their ex again.
Whatever the reason, not picking up the stuff creates a problem, namely: the court order says the stuff belongs to her, but you have it in your house and you need to get it out.
How should you handle things?
Here’s the advice we give people; it comes in two options:
- Let the stuff stay in your house and don’t worry about it.
This option is best when you want the stuff she’s supposed to get, and you don’t mind her coming back two years from now and taking it out of the house.
It’s best to email your ex every so often and tell her she can come get the stuff at any time. That way you have evidence you aren’t keeping her away from her stuff.
- Get a storage unit, pay three months in advance for the unit, and move all her stuff in to it.
This works best if you don’t want the stuff, or you never want to be accused of keeping the stuff from her.
Candidly, I like this option because you never have to worry about the situation again. The stuff is out of the house, you’ve done her a solid by paying for the storage unit for three months, you’ve let her know where everything is (notice by email is best), and you put the ball in her court.
If she gets the stuff, great. If she doesn’t, it’s the storage unit’s problem at that point.
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