Storage and transfer of ownership of lost property
A found object is stored in the lost property office for at least 6 months from the date of the lost property report, unless the object is perishable or storage of the object would incur high costs. This ensures that the owner can collect the object within this period.
After the deadline has expired (usually at least 6 months) without the owner having come forward, the finder is notified by the lost property office that they can now be the rightful owner of the item. This also applies if the finder has temporarily stored the item at home. This regulation gives the finder the opportunity to officially become the rightful owner of the found item that previously had no apparent owner and to establish their legal claim to the item. This way, if the finder has followed all the required deadlines and formalities and no owner has been found, they can take possession of the item as the new rightful owner.
In general, the same rules apply to found animals as to other objects. However, there is one important exception: if an animal is found, it can be temporarily handed over to a person or an animal shelter after four weeks, without the new owner becoming the legal owner in the first four weeks after the find. After the six-month period has expired, if the original owner has not come forward, the animal can be handed over to the finder for temporary care without any restriction on ownership.
If an item is found in a public place or on public transport, in a train station or at a bus stop, the finder cannot simply become the owner of the item. Such lost property is considered public property and therefore cannot simply be taken into possession by the finder. Instead, these items are auctioned off and can be purchased by interested parties. This ensures that public finds are not simply expropriated, but are put to a fair and transparent use, while at the same time giving people the opportunity to legally acquire these items.
If the finder shows no interest in their find and does not wish to keep it, ownership may pass to the city or local self-governing authority. If the lost property is of a certain value, it can be auctioned off and the proceeds used for public or charitable purposes. In this way, the procedure enables the lost property to be utilised and the proceeds to be used for public or charitable purposes. This is one way of putting unused or unclaimed lost property to good use and benefiting society.
