Advice on post tenancy house clearance for landlords

Your a landlord or agent and a tenant has moved out of your property, but unfortunately, they left behind a significant amount of junk. What should I do about it? 

It's essential to handle the abandoned items appropriately. If there are any health hazards, like spoiled food, you should dispose of those immediately. For other items, it's important to inform the former tenants and give them a chance to retrieve anything they might want. If you mistakenly throw away something valuable without following the correct process, the tenants could take legal action against you, so proceed cautiously.

In England, the guidelines are outlined in the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977. According to this law, you must provide the tenants with a formal notice to collect their belongings, which should be sent via recorded delivery. Keep in mind that back in 1977, we didn't have the convenience of email, text messages, or WhatsApp!

You should offer the tenants a reasonable timeframe to collect their items; typically, a notice period of 21 days is adequate. If you need to rent out the property again, you can relocate the items to another area, such as a garage or an outbuilding.

If the tenants do not respond to your notice, you then have the right to sell or dispose of their belongings. It's advisable to keep a comprehensive inventory of all items (preferably verified by an independent party) to protect yourself in case the tenants later claim that you disposed of valuable property. Holding a public auction is a good option, as it ensures transparency in the sale process and prevents claims of undervaluation.

Any proceeds from the sale will belong to the tenants, but if they owe you money, you can deduct that from the total.

What if you can't find the tenants' address? If you've made reasonable efforts to locate them (and keep records of those efforts), you can treat the items as if the tenants had abandoned them, allowing you to dispose of them accordingly.

Danum House Clearance are speacialists in post tenancy house clearance and we regularly work with various property proffesionals from small scale private landlords to local authority housing teams, housing associations and large corporate property organizations.

Contact Danum House Clearance today to discus our post tenancy property solutions aswell as our other offerings suited to property owners across Doncaster, Sheffield, Barnsley, Scunthorpe, Retford, Roteherham, Gainsborough, Selby and Goole.

Aiden Poulton - House clearance expert and co-founder of Danum House Clearance