Tenants who appear to have abandoned a property without giving notice can put landlords in a very precarious legal position. There's no easy way out, but knowing the law certainly helps, writes Tony Booth .

The question is: 'Have they permanently vacated or do they intend to return?'

If the former, then the landlord's objective will be to gain possession and re-let the property as quickly as possible; but, if the latter, the act of re-letting the property could provide the first tenant with overwhelming evidence of illegal eviction.

Let's look at the predicament in more depth and then examine procedures that could help resolve it.

Misinterpreting Abandonment