Storing belongings for another person

Angelique888

Hello, I am not sure if I have the right forum but I am hoping you will be able to help. In March 2024, one of my French colleagues had to return to France in a rush as it was the start of the pandemic. I offered to store some of her personal effect (clothes, shoes, bedding, toiletries, kitchen stuff) in my garage as she had to leave her flat. At the time we did not know that the pandemic would last that long. She has not returned to the UK and her things are still in my garage. She has asked me to send her belongings through a courier which I have refused (too much paper to fill in for border control and I don't really want to pack stuff that are not mine). I have asked her numerous times over the last 4 years to come and collect her things, which she has not done, always coming up with excuses. Can I now take her belongings to the charity without having any problems legally?

Okell

Have you warned her that if she doesn't act you will do that?

And do you mean March 2020?

eskbanker

If you're saying that you're no longer able or willing to continue to store her belongings, and don't wish to send them either, would she be prepared to accept the rental cost of a commercial storage unit, in which to keep the stuff until she gets her act together (assuming you'd be OK to take it there)?

Hoenir

Give your friend a final ultamatum. 

Olinda99

surely she can organize a courier her end to.pick.up a box or whatever and she would then do the paperwork - all you would do.is hand the box to the courier when they arrive

ButterCheese

She is expecting you to do all of the legwork whilst putting in minimal effort herself.  If it was that important to her, she could fly, ferry or drive over here to get it.  Or organise a courier herself.  She's not doing that because she either can't be bothered or can't afford it. 

Give her 1 month - say if stuff is not collected by this date then it will be given to charity.  If it can all fit in a car then I'd consider driving to the nearest port of entry as a favour, but that depends on how friendly you are and how much you want to invest in keeping the friendship.

Do not think about the emotional side of it too much; ex-colleagues are not necessarily friends.  If it were my friend I would not even ask them to do it, and would be embarrassed that my stuff had been there for so long

pinkshoes

Dear Friend.
I'm happy to get your stuff sent to you. A courier will cost £XXX, and it will also take me approximately 5 hours to pack it all up, fill in all the customs forms and wait in for courier collection, so I will need an additional £100 for my time to do this. Let me know if you'd like to go ahead, and if you do, then please send me £XXX+£100 (total amount) ASAP. Alternatively, if you no longer want your belongings, I can take them to a charity shop.

user1977

Is there actually anything of value among her belongings? If the worst case scenario is her suing you for the value of some secondhand clothes and other junk, it hardly seems worth worrying about.

Angelique888

Okell said:

Have you warned her that if she doesn't act you will do that?

And do you mean March 2020?

Yes sorry I meant 2020! Not 2024.

TELLIT01

pinkshoes said:

Dear Friend.
I'm happy to get your stuff sent to you. A courier will cost £XXX, and it will also take me approximately 5 hours to pack it all up, fill in all the customs forms and wait in for courier collection, so I will need an additional £100 for my time to do this. Let me know if you'd like to go ahead, and if you do, then please send me £XXX+£100 (total amount) ASAP. Alternatively, if you no longer want your belongings, I can take them to a charity shop.

I would not offer to do all the work involved in arranging the courier, doing the Customs paperwork etc.  If the owner of the items isn't willing to put the effort in to get them back they can't be that important to them.  My approach would be to say that I can not store them after x date (maybe 3 months into the future) and if she cannot arrange collection by that date you will have no option but to give them to charity.

lincroft1710

It's been nearly 5 years. Does the "friend" still want the stuff? Clothes may be out of fashion and possibly no longer fit.