How long am I supposed to keep previous tenant's packages

Question

I live in Nevada, US. I moved into my house 4 months ago and have been receiving packages addressed to my old tenant ever since. The first package arrived about 2 weeks since I moved in (meaning about 4 weeks after she moved out). I handed it to her. This tells me that she is aware her mail and packages are being sent to the wrong address. I saved all the subsequent packages for her, thinking she would show up and pick them up eventually. She never did.

I then tried to write "not at this address" on the packages and left them at the door but whoever delivered them never picked them up. They're from various carriers, USPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, etc.

Next I contacted the real estate company that manages the property and asked them what I should do with these packages. They told me to either bring it in or throw it away. Their office is quite a distance from my house so I really don't want to bother. At this point I really think I did everything short of going out of my way to find the previous tenant or to deliver her packages to another location, be it the real estate management company or the post office. What are my legal obligations to her with respect to these packages?

Answer 1

You should not keep them at all.

Mark them clearly with whatever variant of "not living at this address"/"not known at this address" is accepted in your area, or with "return to sender, wrong address" and provide them to the courier agent or post office responsible for your area.

Keeping mail that isn't yours opens you to offences like theft or conversion, or of interfering with the post system. Opening mail that isn't yours opens you to offences specifically defined by that action, as well as potential privacy breaches. Destroying mail that isn't yours opens you to offences of property damage.