Seller left a tractor in our property...

WoodyAllenJesus

In 2010 we bought a house in France with a few barns. The French couple selling it were splitting up, the husband was going to a flat and asked if we could store his tractor temporarily in a barn whilst he got sorted. We said fine as we had no immediate plans for the barn. (You know where this is going...)

After a year he'd made no effort to contact us or collect the tractor, so we started trying to contact him. We tried his phone and I left (bad French!) voicemail, we got friends to leave good French voicemail, we got the Immobilier involved who left voicemail. We went to the address he'd given us but no reply. The Immobilier only had the same address. I scoured the house purchase documents for an email address (nothing) and Google searched him (nothing). Every time we go back to France we seem to spend effort on contacting this guy to no avail. In short I think we've made a fair attempt to contact him.

Now 4 years on we've still got the tractor. It's not really in the way and we don't want to do anything with that barn at the moment, but I just would like it gone - if it gets stolen I don't want to be responsible. Also we might want to sell the house in a couple of years and what do we do then with a tractor that's not ours?

My brother in law has forged a crude key for it so we can start it up and move it about if we want, but we have no paperwork for it.

I realise things move slowly in France (especially the part our house is in) but 4 years is crazy!

My question really is, is there any point that the tractor becomes ours to dispose of, scrap, sell, whatever. There is nothing written down that we ever 'looked after it' for him, and tbh when we go back this year if the barn has been raided and the tractor taken I would sort of be glad as at least it's an end to it but I don't know where we stand legally!

Hoping for some advice really, I know this is a bit out there. Or maybe a 'what would you do' as there may be something we've not thought of.

nidO

WoodyAllenJesus wrote: »

Or maybe a 'what would you do' as there may be something we've not thought of.

Move it out of your barn, park it in the street, then report it to your local council as abandoned?
Beats me whether a French council will care/do much, but here at least the council would either trace the owner to get rid of it, or dispose of it themselves then bill the owner.

Not that that's a particularly "socially responsible" way to deal with it, but it gets it out of your hair.

WoodyAllenJesus

Yeah I suspect that in France we'd get fined for that! They have VERY weird rules about bins as it is, I'm not sure how they'd cope with tractors!

Great idea though, will suggest to husband

davidmcn

WoodyAllenJesus wrote: »

My question really is, is there any point that the tractor becomes ours to dispose of, scrap, sell, whatever. There is nothing written down that we ever 'looked after it' for him, and tbh when we go back this year if the barn has been raided and the tractor taken I would sort of be glad as at least it's an end to it but I don't know where we stand legally!

You'd probably be better to ask on a forum devoted to French law - there might be someone here who knows the answer but I suspect you'll just get lots of guesswork...

Owain_Moneysaver

This is a matter of French law and you need to use a French property lawyer.

phill99

I would serve him a notice at the last known address saying if it isn't gone within 28 days, you assume he has relinquished ownership of it. Then you are free to sell it or get the scrap man to collect it.

G_M

You need to find the relevant French law on abandonment. There are lots of France specific forums.

But why not put it to good use? Don't you have grass that needs mowing? A veg patch to plough? Kids that need to learn to drive plus be entertained on holiday?

as for what to do if/when you sell; can I suggest you ask your buyers if they'd mind storing your tractor in their barn for a while till you get sorted?

PasturesNew

It's a tractor.... move it beside/into a hedge and forget it.

booksurr

phill99 wrote: »

I would serve him a notice at the last known address saying if it isn't gone within 28 days, you assume he has relinquished ownership of it. Then you are free to sell it or get the scrap man to collect it.

advising OP to follow (part of) the UK process for abandonment is utterly irrelevant to the context of dealing with French property resident in France owned by a Frenchman

OP needs to find out what French law actually says, not what well intentioned UK forumites guess