Landlord Rights when Tenant Dies

by Melissa
(Idaho)

When does a landlord have the right to enter premises after the tenant dies?

Our best friend passed away and he was renting from a cop. Two days after his death and prior to the end of his paid month of rent, the landlord came and changed the locks and the security code so that the next-of-kin could not gain entrance and remove his belongings from the rental. The landlord finally let us gain entrance two days after the paid month was up.

Also, when we finally were allowed to enter the premises we found that there were items missing, big ticket items. The landlord also stated that since the tenant died all contracts were void and no last months rent or deposits would be returned.

My friend was also purchasing furniture from the landlord and had paid $1700 towards the $5000 bill. The landlord will not furnish any receipts for the payments to which he stated to us he had none.

My questions are: Can the landlord legally enter the premises to which the rent has been paid for that month, are the contracts (rental agreement and contract for furniture) legally voided and is the landlord liable for the missing items?