Oakfield Property

News

Funny but true.....

It's not only the odd sock, a stray fork or a dying plant that landlords find at the end of a tenancy; it's also items of a more intimate nature.

17 Mar 2010

Tenants checking their landlord's inventory may spy an early and probably unwanted moving-in present from their predecessors. According to the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), marital aids lead they way in items being left behind.

Items that are usually kept out of sight are overlooked during the busy moving out period, leaving landlords or new tenants to discover raunchy underwear, bondage equipment and blow-up dolls that, if only momentarily, have slipped the owners mind.

Kevin Firth, director at DPS comments, 'Cleaning up after tenants is often a big job for landlords but this research shows that it is not always just dirt and mess they have to contend with.' He continues, 'One landlord told us that a former tenant, a postman, had left behind bags of unopened mail in the attic...while another said that he had been showing a prospective tenant round the property and had found a complete stranger asleep in the bedroom!'

Unfortunately landlords find that problems are not limited to a corrupt Postman Pat or fairy tale Goldilocks. Animals, dead or alive are overlooked on moving day. Tenants have forgotten taxidermy exhibits, a pot bellied pig and even the family dog.

Other items left behind include a large dead fish, an elephant's foot and a very much alive snake extracted from under the floorboards.

The report comes as the DPS remind tenants that they should only leave behind items that are stipulated on the original inventory. Leaving items behind for the landlord to clear up and dispose of could delay or jeopordise the return of a tenant's rental deposit.