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?

You are being unreasonably angry - anger at something that's probably a mistake! You are jumping to the conclusion they lied to you about the loft being avialable to you for storage, but as it includes Christmas decorations, that sounds like stuff they fully intended to take with them and some how it's been forgotten in their own move out. (I would put money on them calling you sheepishly in a couple of weeks when they come to decorate their new home for Christmas and realise they didn't take their decorations with them, this is very common problem with people who use packing companies when they move without telling them to clear the loft too - if you throw it, you might well get away with it, but it's mid-November, you've got a month tops before they realise they've forgotten the boxes of decorations, try to get them back, find out you've flinged them and then probably decide you aren't the sort of person they want renting their property long term after all.)

Take a deep breath - which is more likely, that there's been a fuck up with their own move out and forgotten things, or they delibrately lied about how much storage space you would have available to you?

I get that you've had the piss taken in the past by other landlords, but try very hard not to jump to the conclusion that someone is delibrately cheating you or trying to piss you off, rather than having made a mistake.

Life will be very hard for you if you always assume ill-intent from people. It is much more common to come across people who make mistakes and fuck up things accidentally than it is to find people who set out to cheat others.

I've never come across anyone quite so angry about space and belongings. OP you sound furious out of all proportion. You haven't even rung her yet, you are just assuming she will behave like somebody completely different (i.e your old landlord) and you have reacted furiously before she has even had a phone call off you.

You have called her "infantile" twice. Just speak to her FGS, but calm down before you dial the number.

'Frankly, I shouldn't even have to ask.'

No, you shouldn't. It should not have been there at all. Is the shed in the inventory? I hope not. Call and tell her to shift it out as you need to secure contents insurance and do not want to be liable for it. In fact, I'd make her sign something so that you are not liable for it. What if the roof leaks or there is a fire and she comes back and tries to get you to pay for her shite?

"just renting"

Fuck that.
Are tenants just paying rent as a way to use up spare cash?
I despise the attitude that landlords are bestowing their homes on lowly tenants for free!

Agree with everything dinosaur said, you need to calm down and just ask!! She can't put it right if she doesn't know there is a problem can she!

I would bin it leaving two boxes like the LL told me would be there, it's not on the inventory the LL has no proof it was there and cannot claim anything back.

I can't believe the cheek of the landlord using a whole shed plus plastic storage boxes plus most of the loft...

I think part of being a responsible adult is taking care of your belongings

You seem fixated on this and have said it three times. I think you have issues that go far beyond your LL using more of the loft than you thought.

'I've never come across anyone quite so angry about space and belongings.'

I've never come across so many people who accept that space they pay to hire isn't fully theirs to use. It can be full of someone's shit whilst you are paying money to live there.

Frankly, I shouldn't even have to ask. I think part of being a responsible adult is taking care of your belongings.

Yes, and another part of being an adult is not flying of the handle at a situation that could easily be rectified.

The time you've spent on here bitching and complaining could have been used to call the landlord and sort it.

Disposing of her items is illegal not withstanding being out of order. It's quite common for LL to have items in cellars and or lofts. Even if it wasn't you discuss things properly with people, you don't just take it upon yourself to chuck them. And you were informed at the start of your tenancy that the LL had items there so you accepted those terms.

I've never come across so many people who accept that space they pay to hire isn't fully theirs to use. It can be full of someone's shit whilst you are paying money to live there.

You know I might have more sympathy with the OP if she had actually spoken to the LL, but she has called her infantile at least twice and labelled her belongings "shit".

Maybe if she had rung her, the LL may be completely reasonable and apologetic but instead the OP has come onto Mumsnet talking about her in offensive terms because a previous LL was unreasonable to her.

Exactly Missbattleaxe! A lot of people are getting worked up about how outrageous the LL is but until the OP actually calls and asks her to move the stuff, how the hell is she suppost to know there is a problem?!!
How many of us actually know what we've got in the loft?!

So again OP, calm down, put your big girl pants on and actually ask her to move it. You are getting angry about a hypothetical situation that hasn't happened yet, and that's just crazy.

it's not a hypothetical situation: the loft is full of stuff and therefore not usable by the tennant without hassle.

I'm not angry any more. I was very irritated when I had humped the stuff upstairs and thought I'd soon have another few metres of space cleared. I haven't called because my husband is going to when he's home.

Yes, but the OP has already decided the LL will refuse to move it. If she just asks she'll probably find the LL Will get rid and the problem will be solved.

The LL as it stands has no idea the OP hasn't got enough space but is being vilified as a piss taking, space hogging witch!

it's not a hypothetical situation: the loft is full of stuff and therefore not usable by the tennant without hassle.

And for hassle read "a phone call".

The time you've spent on here bitching and complaining could have been used to call the landlord and sort it.

This^^

Yes, the landlord should have cleared the space, but in the real world, mistakes happen! I love ths MN world where no one every fucks up, so everything like this can only be explained by delibrate decision to screw over others, rather than just a mistake.

I moved into a property where the landlord had some tools and supplies left in the garage which apparently should have been empty for our use (clearly from when the landlord did up our flat from previous tenant to our renting it). I just assumed he'd forgotten to clear it, called him, he apologised, said he could be over to collect it all one night that week, I happened to have plans be out that night and asked would he mind coming the following evening or the weekend, we set a new time and it was all sorted in a terribly civilised manner. He'd forgotten, not was trying to screw me out of storage, just a mistake.

Some landlords are crap, some are great. This could well be a great landlord who hired a crap removal company. There's no reason to get an arse on with someone over something that might well not be their mistake.

And yes, grown ups should look after their property, but another part of being a grown up is knowing how to have an appropriate response to a situation. Anger is a frankly bizzare response to finding someone forgot to take some boxes with them when they moved.

YABVU

don't be so vile . You cant throw her things away! ask her to remove them.

And for hassle read "a phone call".

plus arranging for a time for them to come and clear the loft...

Bloody hell it's a phone call! hardly taxing. I honestly couldn't find it in me to get this upset about a few boxes!

Dixie - or c) she hired someone to clear her house and they didn't clear the loft (that is a very common problem with removal companies who do packing for you) or d) she thought her DH had cleared it, he thought she had, it's not like a bedroom or a living room that you walk though and see that the other one hasn't cleared it...

Have you really never made a mistake? How wonderful to have only ever caused someone else a problem as an active choice rather than by accident.