Moral Dilemma

[FanGirlX]

So we've received a letter from the building management company today (block of flats - I rent). Someone has left some rotting smelly meat in the communal area and it has caused a stink. They are going to press for criminal damage / nuisance against the person who did this and evict them. They are going to check CCTV to find the culprit.

I think it might have been me by accident, or perhaps DD age 3. About 2 weeks ago I came home from shopping, unpacked and realised I'd lost 2 chicken breasts. I checked my car and the hallway and couldn't see them, assumed I'd dropped them in town or left them on the counter in the butcher, forgot about it. Sometimes DD does fish around in the shopping bags too. I'm thinking this could be my chicken and it's either fallen out of my bag or DD has taken it out and dropped it.

We move out in 2.5 weeks anyway.

Should I contact them and say this may have been us but it was an accident. Or wait for them to check the CCTV and contact us?

In order for them to take any money out of the deposit they would have to prove to the TDS that it was definitely us. If I admit it (given it was an accident) I feel like I won't get a reference and some of my deposit money may be taken.

@Eeiliethya

Don't grass them up for the fire door just yet - that's your trump card.

That's one for after you've moved

Along with the ICO and harassment.

@FictionalCharacter

1. Dropping a bit of meat isn’t criminal damage. Or any damage. They’re loons.

1. It’s their responsibility to check communal areas and keep them clean, not yours
2. They could get into serious trouble over the fire doors. The Fire Brigade would have things to say to them.

Good luck in your next home, hopefully the landlords will be better!

The next landlord is my mum. Gives me some breathing space while I look for somewhere to buy.

DO NOT OWN UP TO IT ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MIGHT NOT BE YOU.

Brand new packaged items even if left for weeks are easy to put in the bin. People are mad.

Are the building management people also your landlords? I'm assuming so otherwise how else would your deposit have money taken from it to cover the "criminal damage". Even then, is your deposit actually intended to cover damage to communal areas? Surely it's only for damage within your flat as it is clear that either you who did the damage or you allowed someone else to.

@AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair

Is this block of flats in N Korea? Who did you overhear, they obvioulsy aren't the full ticket. Prison for not keeping full control of your shopping

Pmsl

Good lord do not say anything!

Just a smell from what I can gather. I had noticed a bit of a whiff but nothing extreme.

In a list of 'most serious crimes', I'm assuming that murder is at the top, with armed robbery somewhere close afterwards. I'm having a little trouble working out exactly where 'making a communal residential thoroughfare pong slightly' would feature....

First day in prison:

What are you in for?
Murder. You?
I robbed a bank. What about you over there.
Me? Oh - I left a couple of chicken breasts in a communal hallway.

As if!

I’m guessing she possibly did stash and hide and they have no imagination and have never owned a toddler so didn’t think about a 3 year old doing for shits and giggles and think someone has deliberately hidden it to make a stink. Do not own up. Your 3 year old isn’t responsible for criminal damage and your management company is deranged.

The CCTV is gone, if they had it they would have already checked it.

It gets wiped.

Say nothing. Move on. Keep your valuables close. Your DD is a master criminal.

Someone has complained to them because the cleaning hasn’t been done, and they’re now deflecting.

If they had cctv footage they’d have watched it by now.

I’m still curious about the student with the whole salmon. It was Findus crispy pancakes and spaghetti hoops in my day!

This whole tale is pure nuts . Criminal damage?? And you believed them?!

@GreyhoundG1rl
No I didn't believe them. I think they are bullying dicks. I am concerned about my deposit though, however, I said below, I'll leave them to come up with proof that it was me or DD. Deposit is protected by the TDS so they will have to argue with them if they want to retain my deposit.

I wonder if they're going round the entire block having loud conversations about criminal damage and prison outside tenants doors 😁

So the building management company is the owner (landlord) but we rent via an agency.

The landlord is a dick - rude, arrogant, thinks he's above the law.

He's been standing outside the flat today talking about "fucking lesbians today", I assume he means the girls who live opposite.

Once I'm out and the deposit is returned I'm going to report him to the local council, ICO and fire service. Based on the fact that he's an angry little bully.

Funnily enough, we haven't heard from the agency that we rent through, probably because they are professional enough to realise it was just accidental damage at worst.

I got a really nice email from them today answering a couple of questions and saying to ask them if I have any further questions, good luck with the move etc.

He keeps the CCTV in his "office" (cupboard). I saw him watching them today with his builder (which is probably another privacy breach).

The builder told me he couldn't see anything in the CCTV, so he's going to get the company who provides the CCTV to check over them.

I bet footage from 2 weeks ago has been wiped and can't be recovered.

*Champagneforeveryone

The only way you'll be going to prison is if the meat was an actual legitimate human body part and this is a huge drip feed.*

I use a good quality butcher, I'm pretty sure it was definitely chicken 😂*

Do you live in Royston Vasey?

@TheLovelinessOfDemons

*Champagneforeveryone

The only way you'll be going to prison is if the meat was an actual legitimate human body part and this is a huge drip feed.*

I use a good quality butcher, I'm pretty sure it was definitely chicken 😂*

Do you live in Royston Vasey?

😂😂😂

Go to prison?! That is a totally OTT reaction! I've never heard of someone being sent to prison for something like this.

@ALongHardWinter

Go to prison?! That is a totally OTT reaction! I've never heard of someone being sent to prison for something like this.

At the moment, he's assumed that someone put it there deliberately. How would you prove that though? Even if someone is on CCTV would it be close enough to see them deliberately place a piece of meat somewhere? I've had too much time to think about this....

Then he's got to get the police to take him seriously, then the CPS would have to agree to prosecute, then a judge would have to sentence.

It's ridiculous, he's a self important bully who is prone to angry outbursts.

If they do see you on CCTV, they'll see it fall out the bag, and that you've got small child you so it will defo be clear that it wasn't intentional. I'd just leave it and not mentioned anything, you've done nothing wrong xx

The owner is telling on himself. Hiding putrid meat around the place to get revenge on somebody is something he would do, so when finding rotten meat he immediately thinks it was done on purpose.

Good for you for reporting them when you leave.

Er… have they checked all the tenants are alive and well?

Either way, report the fire door, the hidden cctv etc to everyone you can!

OP surely if it was your daughter you'd notice her picking something up and stashing it behind the fireplace?