Last owners wanting back items they left behind.

My buyer stipulated everything to b

When my last parent died, the house went on the market. The buyer ( once the legalities were going ahead ) asked if they could keep all the contents. So apart from items that were fairly new (tv , washing machine ) personal items , paperwork , clothes / bedding , photos etc and it held no antiques , I was quite happy not to employ someone to clear and dispose of. It wasn't a rental either , they moved in and lived in it as is !

I kept a previous tenants mail for about 6 months after I moved in
The week after I threw them away she appeared at my door asking for her mail

Sorry finger slipped 🤦‍♀️
My buyer stipulated everything to be removed from the property, otherwise I could be billed for removal if they had to get a skip.
My mum panicked when she was moving & I had five trips to charity shop/ tip but her buyer said he would be grateful for anything she left behind, as he was going through a divorce & didn’t have much (it was all good stuff).
My neighbor panicked & got rid of a brand new, £1500 barbecue, when we met the new neighbors, they were on the way out to a garden centre to buy a new barbecue 🤦‍♀️ told them my neighbor thought she would be sued if she left it behind, he said gosh he would have given her payment for it. Pays to try & communicate with your buyers- estate agents aren’t always keen on passing out mobile numbers. Seller of my mums new house ( got her phone number on the sly) left mum a brand new washer/dryer, expensive garden equipment that was all going to the tip so was win- win for her!

I moved in my house 6 months ago and they left garden tools no one ever came back but my understanding is unless they have proof of purchase it’s their word against yours and coming onto your property is trespassing. My son rents properties and one of his tenants came back asking for her wardrobe he said sure when you pay up your rent. She never paid up and she never got her wardrobe that was about 8yrs she had a good job too.

If you had thrown it away or otherwise disposed of it it would be just bad luck on them, you would not be legally liable at all, any more than if you'd found an abandoned bedstead and chucked it out. They handed the house over and if they forgot to get the hosepipe into the van, they will just have to buy another. They are simply putting faith in you being nice people who haven't got round to clearing the garden shed yet!
When we moved from a flat into our first house, on the day of completion (which is moving day, surely?) the owners were clearing it room by room with a small van and we had to keep our removal van, paid by the hour, waiting outside all sodding day.

They asked nicely, so I think you are right to give them their hose and spool. But legally? I don't think you could be forced to.

My Dad left all his underwear at their house when they moved out and had to sheepishly return later in the day and ask for them back. The house they moved to a camping toilet had been left in the garage and this promptly went into a skip when they had some work done, about 2 years later the previous owner turned up and asked for it as they were going camping and then threw a tantrum when told it was thrown out. I think he must’ve been under the impression that they could store a used camping loo until he was ready for it. 😂

When I bought my house the previous owners were supposed to be out but midday. 2.30pm came and it was winter so would be beginning to get dark by 3.30pm so my DH told them the house now belonged to us and we were moving our things in as removal van had to be back for 5pm. DH helped put their stuff outside and they took it but loads of stuff was left in the shed and the garden. As fter 2 weeks stuff in shed went to tip. Nice garden whiskey barrel planters stayed. I've still got them.

Our second London house had no overhead ceiling lights but wall lights in every (downstairs) room sometimes 2 to a wall and when we moved in we found the vendors had removed them all, leaving one bare bulb on a wire on one wall in each room (I understand there is a legal obligation to leave a minimum means of lighting) so although we did not particularly want wall lights we had to go out and buy the cheapest we could find BHS) a total of 18 wall lights we could really not afford. The alternative would have meant an electrician to remove them, fit ceiling lights etc etc
More than happy to leave them when we moved on!

In the early 80’s and living in rural Germany, I rented a small farmhouse which was semi modernised. It had an inside lavatory! The walls were plain plasterboard and looked completely out of place, so I plastered them using my hands and the irregular look was perfect.
When I left the owners said I must have paid a fortune for such wonderful work only to leave it behind. Took me 20 minutes, a thin pair of plastic gloves and a couple of pounds of plaster.

Its not only physical property left in a house which can be a nuisance.

Before I bought this house from the LL I lived in it as a buy-to-let. A week or so after I moved in a letter from the former tenant was put through the door. They wanted me to send on to them a large cheque they were expecting. Didnt enclose a stamped addressed envelope so I was supposed to pay for this and act as their post person? Yeah, right.

I knew they had gone bankrupt and had left a lot of debts (including HMCR) so I asked my solicitor what to do as I did not wish to become involved. She advised me to return the cheque to sender as "gone away" because all monies should be disclosed to the trustee in bankruptcy. When the cheque arrived there was no address to return it to. I sent it to the issuing bank with a covering letter.

I had a string of debt collectors looking for the previous tenant, all of whom I sent on to the agent for "further information". Most of them were quite civil and happy to go away once I informed them I was a new tenant and showed them my ID. One was very rude and abusive. Having worked in the debt industry as a student I knew how limited their powers were so I was equally rude back. He left sharpish when I threatened to call the police.

I dont normally snitch or approve of snitches but eventually I got sick of the former tenant leaving me to deal with their mess. I began to reveal the old tenant's new address (where they wanted me to send the cheque) to any DCA agents who called.

Since the people moved approx 6 to 7 months ago, and you still have the requested items, and they are very polite in their email to the Estate Agent, I would call the Estate Agent and let him or her come and pick up the items.

"Odd request after all this time" ..

When I relocated to Madrid from France 33 years ago, I left a few things, however, my twin daughters and I are the owners of the flat so .. My daughters asked me if I wanted what was left (a couple of jackets), and I told them - just bring to a charity retailer.

To answer your question OP, my understanding is that when you buy a property the seller is supposed to remove all movable pieces of furniture, the contents of all built in cupboards etc.

Anything the seller had left you are at liberty to dispose of.

However, in a rented property, disposing of the previous occupants' goods and chattels is theft!

So you really need a lawyer to answer the question of the items concerned are vulueable.

A garden hose can be used for washing a car or a trailer, or when cleaning windows and gutters, which is surely necessary whereever you live.

When we moved into our new house, which had been rented out, we found it to be very dirty and they had left the net curtains which were filthy So a few weeks after moving in I was surprised to find the ex landlady at my front door asking for the curtains.
I said that we had thrown them out as we didn't want them, and that they were dirty. She was very annoyed to hear that. - not because they were dirty but we had the cheek to discard them
She also complained that we had stripped the wallpaper in the hall. Luckily we didn't invite her in, it was as if we were the tenants.

When my MIL bought her last house the vendor unscrewed the toilet roll holders, took all the ceiling lights leaving dangling wires.Luckily she was having it renovated and everything was renewed ,but I never thought anyone could be such a skinflint.

When we moved into our current house the previous owners were still there! Thankfully(!) there was so much to do we didn’t plan to move in for two weeks.

When we bought our first house many,many years ago, we hadn't two halfpennies to rub together as it was a seller's market and the horrible vendor had increased the price twice, knowing that we were desperate to buy as our first baby was due in a few weeks. When we moved in, we found that he had dug up and taken every plant from the garden, removed the bathroom cabinet leaving a gaping brickwork hole, removed the undersink kitchen cupboard leaving the sink propped up on a pole, taken away all the fire grates, also all the light fixtures so there were just bare wires hanging from the ceilings. The only thing left was a set of ragged curtains at the front window which we left in place until we could afford to buy new ones. A few months later, there was a knock at the front door and the man's sister was there asking for the curtains back. I'm glad to say that I had the courage to send her away with a flea in her ear.

Philippa111

Rather pathetic to get an estate agent involved over a garden hose!!
I think most people would just buy another one!

We brought a huge old hosepipe in a very heavy reel when we moved house. We had taken it from my late father in laws house when we sold it after he passed. Doubt we will ever use it but every single time I see it I smile at the choice language he used to use when it jammed, or kinked. He was the sweetest old guy but had a real love hate relationship with that hose yet wouldn't replace it.

Annma chicken I assume that was some time ago, as nowadays you are not allowed to leave dangling wires and you now have to fill in an immensely detailed form specifying exactly which fixtures and fittings are being left and which are being taken.

I have the form sitting on my desk at the moment. We will be taaking 2 chandeliers with us, but will have to leave a proper cable with a working light bulb fitting, if not light bulb. I will rpobably put lampshades on them as well.

We had friends who suffered with having the house stripped of fixtures and fittings. The sellers even took the front door lock. So as soon as our friends had pushed the door open and walked in they had to ring a locksmith to come round and put new locks in

Moved 3yrs ago and left bookshelves, storage bed in loft it had (a velux window & floor), our children had used it as a playroom, they buyers were a couple with young children. They were happy for us to leave the items. After about a week we realised the removal men had forgotten to bring our garden storage box that was full of beach items for holidays and garden umbrellas, chairs.
I contacted the couple and they kindly left it in the garage for us to collect (along with mail that belonged to us)

we moved and put a lot in storage. then we moved again and a different firm moved our belongings. lots went missing but which removal firm was to blame? the people in your situation are lucky that you have the items and they were not half inched by a removal firm!

When we moved into our current home the vendor asked us not to dig in a certain spot in the garden as the urns containing their pets ashes were buried they. They asked if we did need to could we bury them somewhere else in the garden. Couldn't understand why they didn't take them with them.

For Flapper & GSM, this website has lots of info about items left behind, some differences between owners and tenants too. Of course, if it's a property sale, much will depend on the contract terms!! www.sellhousefast.uk/blog/guide-keeping-goods-left-behind-previous-tenants/ [and all this info could differ abroad]

Thanks DrWatson, but as a retired solicitor I know all about it.