Furniture

Dougie247_2

Hey Guys so my Landlady is selling the property we are in..

Since she had no need of the furniture in it we asked if we could take a couple of items with us when we moved.. (Bed Frame and a chest of drawers).. We got an email from landlady saying she was happy to let us have the items as she wouldn't need to transport them back to Cornwall.

We got that email on the 10th of November. Since we now owned the bed and drawers i paid to have someone stain and restore the drawers.

Yesterday i got an email from letting agent saying landlady had changed her mind and would be taking all the furniture with her..

This is 12 days after she said we could have them.

Im happy for her to take the bed frame but having paid to restore something i was given i wont be giving her the drawers back.. I have offered her £50 goodwill gesture and awaiting her reply..

What are your thoughts as landlords and tenants?

Cheers Dougie

[Deleted User]

If these items were desirable enough to pay to restore (sufficient that you don't want to lose that money), I'd have thought you could make a more realistic offer to encourage your LL to change her mind back again. I would have thought that unless the items were worth a reasonable sum of money they wouldn't have been worth paying to stain.

I'm afraid unless there was an offer of money made by you to the LL, and accepted by her for the items originally, you have no contract. She said she would rather you take the goods than take them to Cornwall. Then changed her mind.

Dougie247_2

Deannatrois thankyou for your frank reply.. In fact during our email exchange the landlord offered us to put an offer on one of her wardrobes while discussing the drawers and the bed.. we declined.. But landlord then replied he was happy for us to take previously mentioned items for free.. The restoration was done by a friend to be in the shabby chic fashion so didn't cost much at all but I doubt the land lady would be happy about (I love it). For context I mentioned about her moving things to Cornwall but this was never mentioned in the emails. It was a very straightforward I am happy for the tenants to have the items.

I'm not trying to steal something to sell on antique roadshow here..

always_sunny

What does the email from the 10/11 say from the LL?
Is it as explicit to: "YES YOU CAN KEEP THESE ITEMS FOR FREE AND THEY'RE NOW YOURS?"

If that is the case, you can respond to the LL saying that based on previous convo and agreement, the items are no longer available. Realistically, you could have sold them or disposed them.

CBeardsworth

When I moved into my rented flat the LL had left a small fridge and a chest of drawers that were very much just in the way (supposed to be unfurnished). Instead of waiting for him to move them I offered him some money and sold them on. I don't think I would have been comfortable getting them for free in case he decided he wanted them back. At least if you've given some money then that's it, you've bought them.

Guest101

Need exact wording of the emails.

G_M

The legal question here is at what point ownership transfers under the agreement.

From the point when the LL agreed by email, or from the point at which the tenancy ends?

The wording of the agreement therefore is critical, as is the understanding of the two parties as to the intent.

And if there is ambiguity, then the understanding of a reasonable man on the top of a Clapham omnibus.

Dougie247_2

The wording was this

"Hello , Yes that is fine , they can have the merchant chest and bed frame"

merchant chest being the drawers..

Guest101

Dougie247 wrote: »

The wording was this

"Hello , Yes that is fine , they can have the merchant chest and bed frame"

merchant chest being the drawers..

Perhaps we were unclear. Exact wording of your request and the response.


That doesn't help if you said: "At the end of our tenancy can we have...."

Dougie247_2

ok will get the email chain.. thanks for the help

Dougie247_2

Hi XXXXX, (from our letting agent to LL)

The tenants have found somewhere else to rent and it is almost identical to yours, but in XXXXX. They will be leaving at the end of this month.
They were wondering what you were going to do with the furniture? If you are getting rid of any, they be interested in taking some, specifically the wardrobe, dresser and the bed frame which is in the larger bedroom.

---

(LL to letting agent and forwarded to us)

That s useful information! I was wondering what on earth to do with it myself! The only wardrobe Id like to keep is the one in the larger bedroom which I hope to transport in a transit ( be very useful if they could measure height and width for me for fit) otherwise happy to let the wardrobe in the smaller bedroom go, the merchants chest and the bed frame . The wardrobe is antique and from Eastern Europe, would they make me an offer perhaps ?

---

(our reply to LL and Letting agent)
Hi XXX,

Hopefully you got XXXX’s email with the sizes of the larger wardrobe.

We are going to pass on the other wardrobe if that is ok.

But happy to take the merchant drawers and bedframe. Could you confirm that this will be removed from the checkout inventory and no charge for them levied?

Thank you for all your hard work, I realise we must be exhausting!

---

(letting agent to us)

Hi XXXX,

Yes thanks and I forwarded it to XXXXX

I have also asked her to confirm that there will be no charge etc for the 2 items, I want to get it in writing from her before I can confirm……..!

You are welcome, not exhausting at all. It is nice to deal with nice tenants!

Kind Regards

---

(LL to letting agent and forwarded to us)

Hello , Yes that is fine , they can have the merchant chest and bed frame c which leaves me with just two wardrobes to move so will find a van to do that now I know the dimensions.
Thanks

---

(letting agent to us)

Woo hoo, sorted!

---

(LL to letting agent fowarded to us)
Dear XXX,

I have decided to take the merchant chest after all as I have measured up for a transit and it will fit , just too expensive to buy new furniture. They can still take the bed frame and if required the book case .

Can you let them know please .

Thanks

XXXXX