UK Landlord Forum / Life

I want to get opinions on a matter that's related to moving out and furniture.

I rent a 2 bedroom house. I have a relaxed landlord that does the minimum but she's kind and mostly fair. I'm very good friends with her granddaughter. Sometimes the line is blurry with tenant-landlord communication as I'm good friends with the landlords granddaughter.

When I moved in, it was unfurnished other than a couple of things the previous tenant left (dining table, coffee table, living room curtains from the year 1999, mattress and broken king size frame).

My partner and I broke up last year. I rented the second bedroom out. I needed a lot more furniture than I had! So as I don't drive, with the help of my good friend, who is also the granddaughter of my landlord, I managed to fully furnish the spare room before a new tenant moves in, get a new bed frame for my bedroom and get some more furniture downstairs.

I'm (and my housemate) are moving out and the landlord has now found a tenant to move in. I met up with my good friend and moving out came into conversation. Without really an opportunity to speak or have a discussion, I was... well, frankly told, that the bed frames must stay and they will stay. Frustratingly, I wanted to keep the bed frames as I grew to love them.

As mentioned earlier, my good friend drove me to get different items from TV unit to wardrobes, bed frames to desks, chest of drawers to chairs and so on. 70% of the time we hired a van - she would always do the driving and I paid for the van hire. The other times we used her car, where I paid £5 to £10 for her petrol and sometimes gifted her with a meal or drinks.

Her argument was that both bed frames were free and in her car. Although, this wasn't exactly the case - one was free and one went into her car. She only demanded for the bed frames to stay- nothing else. Not even the free wardrobe we picked up using her car, going by her logic.

I just think it's unreasonable as I didn't move in with bed frames (technically one broken one left by the previous tenant). I assumed that my friend was doing me a huge favour as I have done for her. I also covered all expenses and paid for the furniture where it wasn't free.

This situation is making me feel uneasy. I wanted some advice from landlords and tenants on this situation before I speak with her again as she often is the voice of the landlord.

It'd be great to get some outsider perspectives on this situation.

They're yours.

Irrespective of any assistance you may have benefited from in transportation. Unless, of course, she made the arrangement to source the bed frames in the first place and you were just... there, thinking they were yours?

No-one should admit to loving free bed frames, though.

All that said... it's now reached the point where both parties are unlikely to come out of this feeling good... a great way to damage a friendship, don't you think?

Was an Inventory taken when you checked-in?

What exactly does the Inventory Report say about the bed?

Quote from: HandyMan on October 25, 2021, 09:59:35 AMWhat exactly does the Inventory Report say about the bed?

Surely it can't have said anything... he only went out to get the new stuff last year when he decided to rent out the second bedroom... safe to assume this was some time after Check-In?

Quote from: Hippogriff
Surely it can't have said anything... he only went out to get the new stuff last year when he decided to rent out the second bedroom...

You may have missed this:

Quote from: lomdon91
When I moved in, it was unfurnished other than a couple of things the previous tenant left (dining table, coffee table, living room curtains from the year 1999, mattress and broken king size frame).

Whether the items were left by the previous tenant or were supplied by the landlord is irrelevant, the question that needs answering is "Were any of the items (particularly including the broken bed frame) listed in the Inventory when lomdon91 moved in?". If they were, then the property needs to be vacated with the same (or equivalent) items in place unless agreed otherwise by the landlord. The items should be in the same condition, less allowance for wear and tear. 

I don't think this is a landlord v tenant situation.It seems more like a friendship turned sour. If either side is prepared to fall out over an old bed frame that was worth nothing, then I think it's time to wish each other a fond farewell,and toss a coin as to who gets custody of the bed.Yet another example of how unwise it is to mix business with friendship. 

Quote from: HandyMan on October 25, 2021, 04:07:38 PMYou may have missed this:

I didn't, but one broken bedframe is never equivalent to two intact bedframes.

Now... if the Inventory specified "bedframe, 1, broken" and the outgoing Tenant wanted to leave behind a [one] broken bedframe that seems like a solution I can get behind.

Quote from: Hippogriff on October 25, 2021, 06:37:35 PM
Now... if the Inventory specified "bedframe, 1, broken" and the outgoing Tenant wanted to leave behind a [one] broken bedframe that seems like a solution I can get behind.

That's exactly what I was heading towards.

He loves the bedframes though. He has grown to love them.

King Solomon comes to mind.
Or Pyrrhus.

Someone, certainly.

Quote from: Hippogriff on October 25, 2021, 08:48:23 PM
He loves the bedframes though. He has grown to love them.

King Solomon comes to mind.
Or Pyrrhus.

Someone, certainly.

Procrustes 

I had to Google this-very apt.There are some horrible drawings of him at work,nasty piece of work.

Anyway,perhaps the bed frame brings back happy memories of times gone by.

Quote from: Simon Pambin on October 26, 2021, 08:09:52 AMProcrustes 

Ah, the benefits of a classical education. Bravo.