Question on landlord responsibilities

Nortthernsoulman1949

I rent a first floor flat above a shop. The landlord owns the whole building. I don't have a refuse bin, so I contacted the local authority. They charge £35 for a replacement bin which I am reluctant to pay as I am only the tenant and hope to be emigrating next year. They suggested I get the landlord to pay but he has refused saying "that's what you pay council tax for!"

So I have been putting my refuse bags outside the flat. Recently a neighbour knocked on my door - apparently she found my refuse in her bin. It turns out that my landlord has been taking the bags and dumping them in neighbours' bins.

This whole thing has become an irritation - I wish to clear some items from my flat prior to my emigration but with the present arrangement I am constrained to minimising what I put outside to my ordinary domestic refuse (usually around 2 bags a week). What complicates matters is that I have an otherwise good relationship with the landlord so I am at a loss to know how to progress this.

I would be interested to know if the provision of a refuse bin is the landlord's legal responsibility. There is no reference to this in the lease which is the usual arrangement.

Would appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks

ihatemyhouse

if he has a shop, then they might say the rubbish out side is his and he needs to pay for it to be removed, that is why he is putting it in to other peoples bins,

my mate does it who owns a chipy,

Nortthernsoulman1949

My landlord rents out the shop underneath me to another trader who pays for his refuse to be cleared and who has also asked me to get a bin organised, so that is doubly embarrassing for me.

jayss

Do you have a car? Can you take the rubbish you want to be rid of before you move to the tip?

Nortthernsoulman1949

Afraid not, I had to sell my car when I retired early because of stress and depression over two years ago. My son has a car but he doesn't live in the locality so it's not practical to ask him.

quidsy

The local councils ususally have a one off refuse collection for large iems. call them & see what they can do.

I needed a couple of old beds dumped, paid £25 & they took them away.

As for general day to day waste, what does the shop below you do with theirs?

mrginge

Pay the 35 quid !!!!!!

Nortthernsoulman1949

The shop pays a service to remove theirs.

As a pensioner I have better things to spend my money on, especially as I don't think I should pay for the refuse bin. No-one has answered with a confirmation of whose responsibility it is anyway.

poppysarah

Buy a bin and take it with you when you move...

benjus

Personally I'm surprised at the council's attitude - if you didn't have a bin when you moved in, it's hardly a replacement. I don't know what the legal position is, but I would probably try the council again, maybe a more formal approach (like a letter) and see if you can persuade them to give you a bin free of charge.

If they won't budge, then they are implying that the bin corresponds to the property, not the current occupier, so the landlord should pay for it. Actually getting him to pay for it may not be so easy.

Nortthernsoulman1949

Hmm poppysarah, to the Philippines? :-(

I know Manchester provided replacement bins without charge but I'm in an adjacent authority that has a different policy. Their line is that because it is an existing property it would have been issued with a bin, hence this is a replacement, which is chargeable. I cannot argue against this as this has been a rental property for a considerable number of years.

But that was exactly my reasoning Benjus. I'll do as you suggest, it's worth a bash. Thanks.