Three years ago an acquaintance of mine returned to his home country. After he left, his apartment was returned to the owner and he asked me to clear his valuables and store them with the intention of him returning and taking them back.
Three years on and he has not returned. I have contacted him repeatedly about returning his effects to his country. He has promised to have a packing company call and pack and transport his property. After months of emails and waiting, I need to get rid of his property because I have moved to a smaller apartment. He is aware of my situation with space.
How do I stand legally to get rid of his property? I cannot keep hanging on to them.

Name withheld
Answer: First of all you should point this out to him again and tell him that the time has come for action and send him a last warning that if he does not take the goods off you, you will dispose them. See also if he has a relative who is willing to take the things off your hands.

If your friend does not respond, draw the attention of your embassy to the fact and see how they react. Let them know exactly what all items are in your custody. I am sure they will help you come up with a solution. The easiest thing would be if your friend gives you in writing that you are allowed to dispose the items and send the proceeds to him.

If nothing works out, you should file a complaint with the police which could ask the Municipality to take the goods off you, make an inventory and place them in a store, in which case your friend would have to pay for the storage and if does not collect them within a certain period, all the items would be auctioned. The money would be used to recover the Municipality dues and if some amount remains it would be kept for your friend.