Personal item removed from rental property

marlot

If the communal area is a fire escape, they may feel obligated to move anything which could catch fire or be a risk to people escaping

moneyistooshorttomention

I suppose there is the very remote possibility the landlord may have "taken" it by mistake (thinking you were disposing of it and he was doing you a favour). Chances are the landlord has "stolen" it though. If not the landlord - then someone else "stealing" it.

I'd follow G.Ms advice personally - and generally start by being polite and letting whoever was certainly thoughtless (they should have asked you first!!!) or, on the other hand, is a thief a face-saving way of returning it to you "Before I contact the police to report a theft". That way - you've let them know the theft will be reported if it's not returned to you (or compensation paid) - but given them a face-saver they can use if they were just hoping you'd say nothing and they could get away with their inefficiency (at best) or theft (at worse).

If it's down to their inefficiency - rather than their dishonesty - what sort of person would see a possession there in the house and (knowing very well only one household lived there) not ask that household first before "taking" it for disposal (if it's the inefficiency explanation)?

hanb

Thanks for your repsonses


Spoke to the agent who's spoken to the landlord who had very kindly taken it the tip for us thinking it wasn't needed....! He's apologised and said he should have checked and is going to replace it so all is fine. Just a bit of a pain.


Now we just have to hope that he doesn't try to recoup the cost of replacing it from our deposit by finding fault elsewhere! And that completion happens today


These are the things I'm sure could only happen to us.

moneyistooshorttomention

"very kindly" - yeh right....

Downright inefficiency at best and theft at worst - but you've got it sorted anyway (whichever one it was).

'Scuse the cynicism - but I provided a "way out" before now to someone that had stolen something from me (ie a lodger) and gave them the face-saver of "I know it's you and I have the evidence. Pay me back - and I'll leave it at that" and they did duly pay me back.

Hopefully he'll be thoroughly efficient and "on the level" from here on in.

Re "could only happen to us" - nope...there's lots like it out there....