To throw away the landlord's shit in the loft?

[MuttonWasAGoose]

We've just moved in to a nice house. The landlady mentioned that the loft was partly boarded out and that they'd left "a couple of boxes in the very back that we couldn't reach."

I just went to stow some things and pretty most of the boarded out space is full of their stuff. It's about a dozen or so cartons of crap. Mostly toys and holiday decorations.

None of this is on the inventory. I'd like to use that space for our empty suitcases, camping gear, etc. There's already a large shed full of their stuff that I grudgingly accept we can't use. But the loft situation annoys me.

DH feels it would be wrong to empty the loft. I have been in this situation before (previous landlord was much, much worse and I did throw everything away.) I just have no patience for this. I think it's infantile to be unable to take responsibility for your belongings. If they can't be bothered to move it, or even inventory it, then they clearly can't really care about it.

The first carton I looked in had what was clearly a well-loved child's teddy. Even I don't have the heart to toss that. But what about the other stuff?

I just really want renters to have some understanding of what it's like to be a landlord moving from your own house.

Speaking as a tenant, I couldn't give a fucking flying fuck. I just want a house that is in good order with access to all that I am paying for. I don't give a crap if you can't be arsed to move your lawnmower. I couldn't give a monkeys about your fucking bike. I'm paying for something, fucking provide it and stop bellyaching. And if you can't provide it, or if you're having histrionics about providing it, you have no business being a landlord. You're not up to the job. Admittedly, that's you and several million others like you, but it doesn't make your lame fucking excuses any more cogent.

well said cruikshank

Too right, cruikshank.

As a landlord I fully agree with cruikshank!!!

cruikshank you are spot on.

I'm so over landlords wanting their cake and eating it to.

One house we lived in had a shed which was a factor in us renting the house as my husband has a lot of tools. When we viewed the house the shed was full but we were assured it would be emptied. 2 years of us hassling the landlord and it was never emptied. Nor were the rotten mattresses hidden behind the shed very removed. Would a landlord leave their home like that? Fucking greed is all it is.

I think it would be great if you had to take a test and get a certificate to be a landlord. Judging from the numbers of stories I've heard about landlords assuming that they can just waltz in to "their" house whenever they feel like it, or the ignorance about what is or isn't OK in terms of fair wear and tear, etc... perhaps if landlords had to pass a test on the legalities and be qualified to a minimum standard there wouldn't be this level of ignorance, and fewer excuses when there were breaches.

I just really want renters to have some understanding of what it's like to be a landlord moving from your own house.

What a twatty thing to say! PMSL!

I actually have experience of this. Moved 'from my own home' and rented it out. What did t feel like? Maybe sad to be leaving a place I had so many happy memories in - but - did t impact the professionalism with which the house was cleared and cleaned prior to tennants moving in? Nope!

I either move my stuff out with me, threw it away or sold it. Would have paid for storage if had needed a short term solution.

We know exactly what it's like to move from our own houses. Anyone who has ever moved house knows what it's like.

Of course mistakes can be made. I realised that my wedding dress has disappeared. I assume that I left it in a loft. I assume that it was thrown away. The person who had to throw it away shouldn't have had to do that. I hope they weren't too bothered. (For all I know it's still there, subsequent tenants cursing whomever they assume left it.) So, I shouldn't be too upset about such things. However, for a landlord to just assume that I want to use/maneuver around/dispose of their belongings/unwanted broken telly/whatever isn't on at all.

^Despite us saying we were leasing from June, our tenants were desperate to be in by May and so we really struggled to get every little piece out and sorted with a month less, but their need to be in (pregnant wife) was bigger than our need to sort the last few bits like the boxes in the loft. My priority at the time was making the main rooms clear, spotless and inviting. The loft and shed are the last things on your very long list.
I just really want renters to have some understanding of what it's like to be a landlord moving from your own house.^

Yeah, what an unprofessional twat showing compassion for a pregnant woman and inconveniencing her own family by making her property available a month earlier. She really needs to be more professional next time a tenant wants to move in a month earlier and tell the tenant she ... How did cruik put it... Doesn't want to hear fucking excuses? Yes, that's it.

I'm not saying it's right to leave the house in a state, just that a couple of boxes in the loft might have been overlooked. Moving from a rented house to a rented house is not the same. You just do accumulate more crap in an owned house. And moving down the road is not the same as moving continents.

It's ok if you don't give a fuck, but some people believe in a little empathy as it makes their lives less angry and bitter, I'm just saying from personal experience, despite getting professional cleaners in and being totally ruthless, there are a few things you may choose to leave because you think they will be useful to the people coming in, or you may, you know, make a mistake and leave a couple of boxes in the loft like this LL. I do empathise though with loads of crap being left. I am currently living around a full blanket box of manky old sheets and blankets, a massive useless too high table and a weird globe light thing. I won't chuck them, I'm storing them until LL can rehome. Because she is a nice person who always gets things fixed quickly, never quibbles on paying for renovations and has helped us out a couple of times with keys/post. She doesn't intuitively know all these things in our furnished rental are in the way.

Word of warning though. Throw the stuff away and see how much empathy they have for you when you want to decorate to your taste or change the garden round.

Of course it's not OK for her to leave her stuff in there.

Imagine you rented a car and there was someone else's luggage in the boot, or you took out a library book and a chapter was missing, or you were in a hotel but couldn't use the wardrobe because the hotel was using it as the lost property cupboard.

That wouldn't be fine, would it? So why should people who rent houses just put up and be grateful when someone they're paying tens of thousands of pounds to a year doesn't provide what they promised?

Maybe it is hard to rent out your family home without leaving some personal effects behind. But it's a damn sight harder when you have NO permanent home, and nowhere to store things in your rented one either.

What a ridiculous situation. I'm a LL and I'd no more leave a box in the loft than I would a chicken in the oven.

kungfu those vendors probably thought that the buyer would be getting a real bargain. They probably thought that their personal stuff would be of value to other people.

I don't know what they were thinking! But can you imagine moving in and having to get a skip and throw out people's wedding photos and their children's toys? We also thought that the whole situation was so weird that we could easily get quite a long way through the sale process and then it fall through because one or both of them decided to move back in and pick up their life again.

This thread certainly makes me glad I no longer have tenants. They seem to swear a lot and be very unreasonable. I am well rid of them.

Me too Dixie

Moving from a rented house to a rented house is not the same. You just do accumulate more crap in an owned house

See, this is indicative of the problem we face. Owners automatically assume renters are somehow living very differently.
It's like in property programmes when they go "just fill the garden with gravel. Tenants won't won't a proper garden."

Well tenants nowadays are families, just like yours. We have furniture and cushions and bikes and bedding and Christmas decorations (not to mention Halloween decorations) We have toolboxes, files full of kids artwork, books, toys, pictures, etc etc.
When I moved from a rented house in a hurry, and left a couple of bits in the house, I got charged out of my deposit.
When I bought new blinds to replace really old ones my son has ripped, but didn't have time to hang them before we left, I was charged. No agent or landlord felt sorry for me because it was all too hard.

And if I could "like and share" cruikshanks post I would.

We just heard back from most recent landlady (not the delusional one who had a house stuffed with parents' belongings). She was very, very happy with the state of the house. There was a tear in the wallpaper on the stairs from when we scraped it moving in furniture and we'd already agreed responsibility for on our first inspection 2.5 years ago. Everything else was perfect. Minus a small amount towards new wallpaper, we're getting all of our deposit back.

We paid our rent bang on time every day, never pestered for any repairs (none were needed), and left the house cleaner than we found it.

We are GREAT tenants.

Actually, even the delusional ones were happy with the state of the house. We probably did them a favour when we packed up or threw out all that junk.

I think a lot of people see things like TheOddity. The assumption seems to be that renting is something people do for a few years before settling down and having a family, or that people only rent because they can't afford to buy. I rent because I'm in a current post for 3-5 years, and will likely move to another part of the country, and I don't want to put myself through searching for a house in London when I can rent in a lovely area and save some money. And I do know what it's like to move. I've moved 10times in 12 years. I moved countries at 36weeks pregnant, and I left nothing behind in my previous rental.

Mutton, you do know that you shouldn't have to pay for the wallpaper don't you. It's reasonable wear and tear. Especially if they never had to fix anything while you were in there!

But I know it's not worth arguing. I've been gouged every time I moved, 100 quid here 50 quid there. You just suck it up, even though landlords can write off stuff when they do their taxes.

I do think we have to pay something towards it - it's a good-sized tear caused by our carelessness and she'll have to redecorate the entire downstairs entry and staircase because of it.

I once had a landlady so delusional that when we moved in she still had EVERYTHING in the flat (even bras in the drawers). When we complained, she said it was furnished and therefore we could just use it all. We didn't seem to be able to get her to understand that we had our own stuff, and were wanting space not stuff! Eventually we had to get the letting agency to come and pack it up and put it all in storage for her. They did so with a " yes we know she's a loony but she pays well" sort of attitude.

In the 3 years we lived in her flat she did no repairs, despite the place being damp, and despite us reporting things that broke. When we moved out the letting agency inspected the flat and recommended our deposit returned in full. She vetoed this and tried to keep the whole thing!

Somewhat unbelievably she had need done an itinerary and we knew our rights and so we threatened legal action and got the lot back.

But not before having to borrow 1500 pounds in order to put the deposit onto the new flat we were moving too, whilst heavily pregnant with a toddler. Imagine if we hadn't had the ability to borrow? We'd had been homeless. All because of the greedy deluded landlady.

Makes me so mad this kind of thing. Renting is awful