Lost property law in the UK: finders, buses and records
This page on lost property law in the UK quotes the Scottish rules for finders, the regulations for property left on buses and coaches, the notice rules for uncollected goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the UK GDPR principles for lost property records, each from its official text. It is information, not legal advice.
We have not yet read a statute for England and Wales that sets a holding period for found property in general, so this page quotes none. We only describe a law we have read in its official source.
Updated
Laws that set a period: United Kingdom
Information, not legal advice. Each row quotes the law as published on the date shown; read the whole section, which has conditions this table does not repeat.
| Law | Where | Period | Applies to | Afterwards | The text and its source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, sections 67 and 68 | Scotland, United Kingdom | 2 months from the day the property was delivered or reported to a constable | Anyone who takes possession of property that appears lost or abandoned, apart from the exceptions in section 67(2), such as public transport premises and vehicles covered by another enactment | The chief constable may offer it to the finder, sell it or dispose of it, and keeps a record for one year after disposal | legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)shall take reasonable care of it and shall without unreasonable delay deliver the property or report the fact that he has taken possession of it to a constable or to any of the persons mentioned in subsection (3) below, giving a description of the property and information as to where it was found.The chief constable may, after the expiry of a period of 2 months from the date on which the property was delivered or its finding reported to a constable under section 67 of this ActThe chief constable shall keep a record of particulars connected with the property and shall retain the record so kept for a period of one year from the date on which the property is disposed of under the provisions of this Part of this Act.a person referred to in paragraph (c) of subsection (3) above, he shall deliver the property or report the fact that he has taken possession of it to a constable or to any of the persons referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) or (d) of that subsection;shall by reason only of the finding of that property have any right to claim ownership of it.Opened |
| Public Service Vehicles (Lost Property) Regulations 1978, regulation 9, as substituted by S.I. 1995/185 | United Kingdom | 1 month from the day the property was delivered to the operator | Property accidentally left in a public service vehicle, such as a bus or coach, within the scope the Regulations set | The property vests in the operator, who may dispose of it as it thinks fit; the operator keeps a record of each item for six months | legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)The following regulation shall be substituted for regulation 9If, within one month of the date on which any property was delivered to an operator or his representative in accordance with these Regulationsthe property shall vest in the operator who may dispose of it as he thinks fitIn regulation 7(3) for the word “twelve” there shall be substituted “six”.on payment, if required by the operator or his representative, of a charge of an amount not exceeding £2The 1995 amending Regulations, which replace regulation 9 and change the record period from twelve to six months. legislation.gov.uk holds the 1978 Regulations only as originally made, so this change is not shown in their text there. A title search found no later amending regulations; another instrument could still have changed them.Opened |
| Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, section 12 and Schedule 1, paragraph 6 | England, Wales and Northern Ireland, United Kingdom | 3 months' notice before a sale at the least, where money is owed for the goods | Uncollected goods held under a bailment, such as goods left for storage, safekeeping or repair; not property found by a stranger | The bailee may sell the goods and accounts to the bailor for the proceeds, less the costs of sale | legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)The period between giving of the notice and the date specified in the notice as that on or after which the bailee proposes to exercise the power of sale shall be such as will afford the bailor a reasonable opportunity of taking delivery of the goods.If any amount is payable in respect of the goods by the bailor to the bailee, and become due before giving of the notice, the said period shall be not less than three months.If a bailee is in possession of goods which he has held as custodian, and his obligation as custodian has come to an end, the notice may be given at any time after the ending of the obligationSection 16 of the Act says it does not extend to Scotland, apart from section 15, and that it extends to Northern Ireland.Opened |
Personal data in lost property records: the text
UK GDPR, Article 5(1)(c) and (e)
Applies to: Controllers processing personal data under the UK GDPR
adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed
kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed
Source: legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), opened .
Operators' own published rules: United Kingdom
| Operator | Where | As published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow Airport | London, United Kingdom | 3 months from the date found or handed in | Heathrow Airport |
| London Luton Airport | Bedfordshire, United Kingdom | Up to 3 months | London Luton Airport |
| Transport for London | London, United Kingdom | Up to 3 months | Transport for London |
| First Bus | United Kingdom | A month in most cases | First Bus |
| Northeastern University London | London, United Kingdom | 3 months; items with personal information 1 month | Northeastern University London |
| University of the West of England | Bristol, United Kingdom | 6 weeks; sport centre items 2 weeks | University of the West of England |
| Loughborough University | Leicestershire, United Kingdom | Non-electronic items 1 week; electronics 1 month | Loughborough University |
| University of Warwick Library | Warwickshire, United Kingdom | Low-value items 1 week; high-value items and cash 2 weeks | University of Warwick Library |
| University of Chichester | West Sussex, United Kingdom | General lost property 1 month | University of Chichester |
| London Stadium | London, United Kingdom | Two weeks | London Stadium |
| Utilita Arena Sheffield | South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 1 month | Utilita Arena Sheffield |
| Solihull Moors FC | West Midlands, United Kingdom | 3 months | Solihull Moors FC |
| Theatre Royal Wakefield | West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 3 months | Theatre Royal Wakefield |
| fabric London | London, United Kingdom | 4 weeks | fabric London |
| Viva Blackpool | Lancashire, United Kingdom | Up to 3 months (12 weeks) | Viva Blackpool |
| Adventure Island (Southend) | Essex, United Kingdom | 7 days | Adventure Island (Southend) |
| Paultons Park | Hampshire, United Kingdom | Unclaimed and unreported items 3 weeks; reported items held 1 month | Paultons Park |
| Europcar UK | United Kingdom | 2 months at the rental location | Europcar UK |
| The Gym Group | United Kingdom | Up to a week | The Gym Group |
See every published holding period and how we collected them
Reviewed . Next review due .
Scotland: the finder tells the police, who may act after two months
Section 67 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 says a person who takes possession of property that appears lost or abandoned takes reasonable care of it and, without unreasonable delay, delivers it or reports it to a constable, or to the owner, the person entitled to it or the owner or occupier of the land or premises where it was found. An occupier who takes in a found item in turn delivers or reports it to a constable or to the owner.
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Under section 68, after two months from the day the property was delivered or reported to a constable, the chief constable may offer it to the finder, sell it or dispose of it, and keeps a record for one year after disposal. Section 73 says that finding property gives no right to claim ownership of it, whether to the finder, the finder’s employer or the occupier of the premises. Section 67 leaves out property found on public transport premises and vehicles where another enactment provides for it.
Buses and coaches: one month, then the item belongs to the operator
The Public Service Vehicles (Lost Property) Regulations 1978 deal with property accidentally left in a public service vehicle, such as a bus or coach. Since the 1995 amending regulations, regulation 9 says that if property is not claimed within one month of its delivery to the operator, or nobody shows it is theirs, or the owner will not give a name and address or pay the charge, it vests in the operator, who may dispose of it as it thinks fit.
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The same change cut the period for which the operator keeps a record of each item from twelve months to six, and set the charge for returning an item at no more than £2. The official site holds the 1978 text only as first made, so read it together with the 1995 changes.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: uncollected goods
The Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 lets a bailee, a person holding someone else’s goods, for example for storage, safekeeping or repair, sell goods the owner does not collect, after notice. Schedule 1 says the notice of sale gives the owner a reasonable opportunity to take the goods back, and at least three months where money is owed for them. Section 16 says the Act does not extend to Scotland, apart from section 15, and does extend to Northern Ireland.
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These rules are about goods someone handed over, not property a stranger finds. Whether a cloakroom ticket or a left luggage desk is a bailment in your case is a question for your own adviser.
The UK GDPR and lost property records
A lost property log holds the names and contact details of people who report losses and claim items. Article 5 of the UK GDPR asks that personal data be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for its purposes, and kept in a form that identifies people for no longer than necessary.
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Read with a log in mind, that points to recording only what you need to return items and setting how long you keep each record before it is deleted. The transport, airport, university and other operators below publish their own holding periods.
This page is information, not legal advice. It quotes only the sections named, as published on the date we opened them; laws change and carry conditions and exceptions this page does not repeat. Ask a lawyer about your own site.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a UK law that says how long found property must be kept?+
There is no single rule in the texts we have read. In Scotland, the chief constable may dispose of found property two months after it was delivered or reported to a constable, and property left on a bus or coach vests in the operator after one month. For England and Wales in general we have not read one in an official source, so this page states none.
What must you do if you find something in Scotland?+
Section 67 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 says the finder takes reasonable care of it and, without unreasonable delay, delivers or reports it to a constable, or to the owner, the person entitled to it or the owner or occupier of the place where it was found, with a description and where it was found.
How long can a UK business keep a lost property claimant’s details?+
The UK GDPR sets no number of days. Article 5 asks that personal data be limited to what is necessary and kept in a form that identifies people no longer than necessary for its purposes, so set your own period and delete records after it.
Keep claimant details off the public list
vFound Lost & Found keeps ownership evidence and contact details in staff-only records, separate from what guests see on your site’s page.
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