Rental - Can I just throw out broken items?

toby3000

Pretty straight forward question - I live in a furnished rental and there's a standard lamp that is broken (which is noted in the inventory - I've no idea why it's still in the house) and a TV that turns on but won't tune (again, the inventory notes that it was only checked for power).

We've contacted the agent to get rid of these, but they've not responded (it's London....) - can we just get rid ourselves? Or could they try and take some of the deposit when we leave (again, it's London, so they inevitably will try and take some of the deposit regardless).

davidmcn

Hmm, if the TV that "won't tune" still works for viewing things from other sources then that's still quite useful (over 15 years since I last tuned a telly into anything!)...but otherwise I don't see a problem in chucking stuff which is broken and of no obvious sentimental value. Worst they can demand is that you provide them with an equivalent broken item.

G_M

These items are not yours - they belong to the landlord, so you should not dispose of them without (ideally written) permission.

Are the items noted on the inventory as not working? If so, David is right that the LL could only claim the cost of a non-working TV /lamp etc from your deposit.

But what if the LL claims they were working when you moved in (and therefore you broke them, or disposed of a working item)?

We've contacted the agent to get rid of these,....

Contacted how? Have you written to the landlord at the address provided? Did you give a deadline and inform the LL that if no reply was received within, say, 10 days, then you would assume the LL had no objection to you disposing of them? If so, in order to protect yourself from a claim that your letter was not received, you must send it to the correct address.

always_sunny

Not unless you have written confirmation that you can from a person of authority (the LL really).
If you do, when you leave they will be missing against the inventory and you can be asked to be replaced.

Guest101

Ofcourse the value of the telly and the lamp is probably negligible.....

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I've never lived in a furnished rental without some pathetic, broken, defunct LL rubbish around. As long as it's clearly noted as broken on the inventory, stick them in the back of a cupboard and forget about them until you move out.

PersianCatLady

Stick them in the back of a cupboard and forget about them until you move out.
It is annoying that you have to keep this old rubbish but honestly this is the best piece of advice really.

agrinnall

PersianCatLady wrote: »

Stick them in the back of a cupboard and forget about them until you move out.
It is annoying that you have to keep this old rubbish but honestly this is the best piece of advice really.

Because the OP is sure to be renting a property with so much cupboard space available that they can store heaps of old junk without affecting their capacity to store their own belongings. Not something that has been the case in most properties I have rented.

The best advice is to get written permission from the LL to dispose of the items.

PersianCatLady

The OP is sure to be renting a property with so much cupboard space available that they can store heaps of old junk without affecting their capacity to store their own belongings
That is why it is so annoying to have to keep hold of it but better than paying to replace it later.

Guest101

Look the value of these items is probably £10-20 ? Just bin them and pay that at the end of the tenancy.

toby3000

The TV we have stuck in the bottom of a cupboard. It's annoying, but it's sort of out of the way. The lamp is a standard lamp, so there's really nowhere for it to go.

I should perhaps point out that the 'inventory' is in fact the check out report from 2014 - we did ask for a new inventory to be done but it never has. My suspicion is that most of the things in the flat weren't actually bought by the landlord at all - the letting agent probably charged the previous tenants for removal of all this stuff!

I'll try and get written permission from the agent to get rid of it, and if they don't make a decision we'll contact the landlord directly i guess.

If you DO throw things out, who decides the 'value' of the item? I assumed you'd have to replace it with a new item, rather than one of the same value.