Tenant Dilemna

pdangerously

Handed back the keys to a property we rented this week, we moved everything we could then got a cleaner in to deep clean the house and get rid of the few last bits. We've not been in the property for a fortnight.

The landlord agency rang my partner to say they'd received a complaint that there was lots of junk in the alley out the back and the recycling bin was full of things that could not be recycled along with a BBQ, a bed and a host of other stuff. Having not seen it my partner denied it was anything to do with us as we'd got someone in to sort it.

Now, they've emailed me a photograph and it looks like the person we hired to clean has just put lots of stuff in the alley, the BBQ which was in our shed(admittedly i forgot about this) and she's dumped anything else in the wrong wheelie bin. However there are tons of other things which presumably an opportunist neighbor has threw on the pile, far more than was put out by our 'never again to be used' cleaner.

I don't know whether to:

1. Keep schtum and hope that they take my missus' claim that none of it is ours as truth
2. Tell them that some of it is in fact ours and my missus was mistaken but risk them pinning the cost of removing everything on us
3. If there is a third option?

Obviously I don't want to do anything illegal or fraudulent so any advice would be welcome.

thesaint

The 3rd option is that you go back to the property and remove your rubbish.

silvercar

As far as the landlord is concerned, whether it was you, your partner, or a cleaner employed by you, it is still your responsibility.

If you don't think any tenancy deposit deduction is fair then you use the dispute service of the relevant deposit protection scheme and they adjudicate.

agrinnall

OP, for future information, the correct spelling is actually DILEMMA. Like you, I always thought it was dilemna, until a debate about it on the radio a couple of years ago made me realise my understanding was incorrect. I've found quite an amusing website about the misspelling here:

http://www.dilemna.info/

pdangerously

We don't have access to the property anymore nor are we able to access the alley behind as it's all gated-off otherwise I'd just go and sort the bits which are ours.

G_M

Since you are responsible for the problem, either you must resolve it, or pay the landlord to resolve it (perhaps from your deposit).

However, if you paid a 3rd party to do a specific job, and they have not done it, or have done it badly (leading to this problem) then you can claim any losses you incur off them.

Lord_Baltimore

G_M wrote: »

However, if you paid a 3rd party to do a specific job, and they have not done it, or have done it badly (leading to this problem) then you can claim any losses you incur off them.

And I'd be letting that cleaner know now so that they can rectify the problem and avoid the prospect of a claim (better for him, better for you, better for everyone).

thesaint

pdangerously wrote: »

We don't have access to the property anymore nor are we able to access the alley behind as it's all gated-off otherwise I'd just go and sort the bits which are ours.

Have you asked them for the opportunity to remove the rubbish?

silvercar

thesaint wrote: »

Have you asked them for the opportunity to remove the rubbish?

If the tenancy has ended the landlord is under no obligation to let you return.

G_M

silvercar wrote: »

If the tenancy has ended the landlord is under no obligation to let you return.

but that doesn't stop the OP asking.

cavework

Anyone you contract to remove and dispose of items should hold a waste carriers license and supply paperwork to show where the waste was disposed.
If you did not ask for proof that this person held a license the responsibility is yours.
Sorry