Clarity needed on money found on the floor please.

swingaloo

Wasn't sure where to put this but here goes.

What happens if someone drops some money on the floor of a shop they are in and it is then picked up by someone else shopping in the same shop.

In this case someone dropped a sum of money which was picked up by another person. The shop was very busy and the  person picking it up shouted out to everyone to see if anyone had dropped the money. No-one responded so so it is assumed that the person who dropped it had left the shop.

It was handed to shop staff and put away in a safe. A notice was put up asking customers if they had been missing any cash but no mention was made of the amount found to prevent a false claim.

When the 28 days is up if the money is not claimed does the money go to the finder? I have been googling but keep getting different answers.

i,e
It only goes to the finder if it has been reported and handed in to the Police. 
It belongs to the owner of the building.
 There are also answers saying that if it is found in a public place then the 28 day rule applies but then it also says that a shop is not a public place, it is a private place open to the public whilst a public place is government owned. 

In this case the money has not been reported to the Police but all effort is being made to trace the person who lost it.

Mr.Generous

It goes to the building occupier or owner, better taking it to the Police where the person who handed it in gets it back. You could always buy some food and donate it to food bank I suppose.

swingaloo

Mr.Generous said:

It goes to the building occupier or owner, better taking it to the Police where the person who handed it in gets it back. You could always buy some food and donate it to food bank I suppose.

Can you link me to something saying that please. It was found on a charity premises so obviously would go  towards funds if that is correct but the finder is quoting the 28 day rule and then it being his.

PHK

It's interesting,  there's lots of legal advice about what not to do (Theft by Finding) but all the articles are vague about  how long to keep the found money before it's yours. 

eskbanker

Struggling to find any clear legal guidance but gut feel says that the shop has no tenable claim to the money, so if nobody returns for it then returning it to the finder would seem the most obvious course of action.

Skiddaw1

For what it is worth, I once found two £20 notes on the floor of a branch of M&S. I handed the money in to their customer services office, who took my details and contacted me some weeks later to let me know that as no-one had collected the money, it was mine if I wanted it. I told them to donate it to a charity.

lincroft1710

How much are we talking about?

elsien

Would suggest it varies between different shops and their policies. 

When I found a fiver and handed it into the shop, they said if it wasn’t claimed it would go in the charity bucket.
If it was a large amount, I would probably hang onto it but give the shop my contact details then if it’s not claimed decide what to do with it after that.

Nebulous2

I once went to a cash machine attached to a supermarket - saw some money sticking out of it and pulled it out. Turned out to be £200. Phoned the number on the cash machine and was told - take it into the bank. I told them it was a supermarket and they said take it in there. 

I handed the £200 to customer service and they took my details. My wife was convinced I'd never hear any more. 

Two weeks later they wrote to me saying it hadn't been claimed and they had handed it to the police. 

Some time later (2 months?) the police wrote saying - the lost property you handed in has not been claimed you can come and collect it.

I went to the police station, said I didn't find it - I took it from a cash machine, surely you could find out who was at the machine before me? 

The policeman was somewhat disinterested, he said it hasn't been claimed and it is now yours. 

I was up £200, and felt I had done about as much as could have been expected from me, but was convinced the owner could have been tracked. 

Anyway to go back to the point. I had to go through 2 processes. A short one by the shop and a longer one from the police. 

I'd be very wary of a shop either keeping the money or distributing it themselves. The arbiter for lost property has to be the police. They should be consulted for advice at least. 

400ixl

lincroft1710 said:

How much are we talking about?

Is the next question "and what store" lol

Northern_Wanderer

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers?