If a tenant has caused damaged for which they will not pay, does a landlordhave a right to take their stored possessions?

If a tenant has caused damaged for which they will not pay, does a landlordhave a right to take their stored possessions?

My wife and I rented to her sister and family a house for several months, while her husband (whose in the navy) was being deployed to Japan. When she finaly moved out she left us with almost 6k in bills, ruined our credit with the utility companyies, and left the house a awful mess. The refuse to contact us, and have basicly told us that he’s deployed now and too bad. We have keys to the storage units where they have stored personal property, can I take posession of this property to pay for the money they owe us? What rights do I have in this matter, I feel he is using the Navy to hide from his debt

Asked on August 12, 2010 under Real Estate Law, Indiana

Answers:

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