Renting to Friends

ProbablyBeingASnowflake · 2017-02-28 07:49:41

Morning all! Sorry this is long but didn't want to drip feed. Background: I am on a year-long placement abroad, so DP and I let our flat to our friends. It's a small flat, but well-located (SE, sea glimpse view) and friends were very happy to have it as they were struggling to find something. They get it for a very low rate as we didn't want to profit from them, but we know what the market rate is, and they are saving in the region of £400/month. Before we left, we got rid of a lot of our stuff so that our friends would feel that the place was their own. But we left a few pre-agreed items of furniture that fitted well and that they could use. I also left a few things that I thought they could use rather than throwing it away. Decent stuff - an unopened box of pink salt, an almost-full bottle of fancy balsamic vinegar, new soap for the bathroom, spare light bulbs, that kind of thing, plus a few items that I thought could come in handy during the move. Since they moved in, they've not mentioned any of the things I left, except to mention that they've sent some of the non-consumable stuff to charity. I wasn't expecting grovelling gratitude, but I'm a little sad that it wasn't considered useful. (I now see that leaving stuff for them was an inconvenience, which makes me feel a bit bad, but I thought I was being thoughtful.) But this morning, I've had a message about two of the items of furniture, saying they don't need them after all and "are they ok to go to charity?" This has made me feel quite aggrieved, as I don't really feel I can say no. They are by no means expensive, but they fit the space well and we'll only have to replace them when we get back which is more cost for us. I already got rid of a few sentimental items at their request, which hasn't been acknowledged by them, so I'm feeling a bit touchy. DP says to just tell them to get rid of these latest 2 items, as we aren't particularly attached to them. But I feel as though I want my friend to know that I'm finding this a bit hurtful. I don't want the arrangement to get off on the wrong foot or be awkward, but it feels a bit one-sided. For further context: although it may not seem like it, this couple are actually better off than we are in terms of income: circumstances allowed us to buy this place, we were very lucky. I mention this because part of my hurt is that it feels a bit like they think our stuff is not 'good enough' for them. I'm worried this is unreasonably colouring my view of the situation! Would you be upset by this? Or AIBU to feel a bit ? Should I say something or just swallow it?

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AIBU?

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As the OP mentioned - we're removing this now as they have some concerns this will identify the folks in the OP post.