Sell our extension ladder?

jubilee12

Owned our current home for about 5 years. In all that time, not used the extension ladder which previous owner kindly left us, locked outside in garden.
I really want to sell it. My thinking - I don't want him indoors up on that ladder, and I'm certainly not going up there - if we need to do some work on gutters/exterior walls/roof, I would rather pay a professional to go up there.
(And I really want to put some nice plants in the space where the ladder is locked).
How do other people get on? Do you have a ladder? Do you survive without one?

pramsay13

We inherited ours around 10 years ago.
I've used it maybe around 6 times for small jobs that would have been very annoying to have to pay a tradesman to do.
If you genuinely won't use it then get rid of it. But if there's a chance I would hang on to it.
You won't get much for it anyway.

dunroving

Rent it to neighbours who don't have a ladder. Or barter for services rendered. ;-)

Gloomendoom

I dare say I would survive without one. It would be very inconvenient though and I hate paying others to do work I am capable of and have the time to do.

jubilee12

Hmmm. Okay, thanks, more to think about...

rach_k

If you haven't used it in 5 years, wouldn't want to use it yourself, would prefer your OH doesn't use it either AND it's in the way, it seems silly to keep hold of it, to me. We don't have one and have survived.

EachPenny

I'd say it was far better to keep a long ladder just in case you need it, rather than one day have a job which you (or OH) decides to do with a short ladder (or steps) which is too short and requires over-reaching. Because over-reaching on ladders is one of the common causes of accidents, sometimes fatal ones.

That said, I'm not a fan of keeping ladders outdoors. To be safe they need to be in good condition. Aluminium ladders last longer outdoors than wooden ones, but if you do decide to sell then you need to be honest in the advert and explain up-front that the ladder has been kept outdoors for at least 'x' years.

That might put some prospective purchasers off, but it might give you a degree of protection if the ladder you've sold them fails and causes them to have an accident. Obviously, keeping a copy of the advert is essential.

You might want to go further and state something to the effect that the purchaser will need to check the condition of the ladder and satisfy themselves of its suitability before use.

As an aside, I would never lend my ladders to anyone. You have no control over how much care they will take of them, nor can you control whether or not they will use them safely. If friends or neighbours ask me, I usually find a way to volunteer to do the job for them.

pramsay13

EachPenny wrote: »

As an aside, I would never lend my ladders to anyone. You have no control over how much care they will take of them, nor can you control whether or not they will use them safely. If friends or neighbours ask me, I usually find a way to volunteer to do the job for them.

Can I borrow your ladders as my gutters need cleaned.

EachPenny

pramsay13 wrote: »

Can I borrow your ladders as my gutters need cleaned.

No problem. So long as you don't mind contributing £2/mile for my petrol costs (the ladders are a bit 'draggy' on the roofrack so the mpg isn't great )