THE TENANT DIES WITHOUT A WILL …… AND LEAVES THE LANDLORD AND HIS HEIRS IN A LEGAL PICKLE.

When the only adult tenant dies (or all adult tenants die together) without a will, he usually leaves behind not just a lot of personalty – furniture, pots and pans, etc – but a legal headache for the landlord who wants to obey the law but also wants to re-rent the apartment as soon as possible. If there are no known heirs or an unreachable heir or competing heirs, the problems compound. Heirs also might have problems. As discussed here, there are gaps in the law making it unclear what steps the landlord or the heirs can take, especially rapid steps. This essay also proposes possible legislative fixes for the problems.