Am I being a Meanie ?

[pandora174]

Trying to make it short. We just leased a house & have been living there over a month. The owner is having the property taken care of by a the realtor who also owns a property management co. The owner moved to Georgia.

Well, before we moved in we did a walk through & the house was filthy There was a lot of junk etc. We were promised in writing the house would be clean, no personal belongings etc. we saw through the filth & fell in love with the house. The owner was also very nice.

Well move in date & the house was still filthy & there were multiple items left in the shed & 2 huge pieces in the garage. I e-mailed the property mgt guy, he came out. Apologized & promised that by beginning of July the items from the garage & shed would be "thrown out". We already had moved out of the old rental so we did the cleaning ourselves.

Well it's July & I want the use of shed & the full use of my 2 car garage & the owner's personal belongings are still there. I e-mailed the guy & he said if I wouldn't mind moving the items from the shed to the garage becuase she had some valuable things there

I was like "WHAT", appears she has 2 taxidermy birds of prey, several boxes of Christmas decorations, boxes of coin collections & baseball cards & Lord knows what else. All in an unlocked shed !

I politely told him that the boxes were getting mold & I already have my garage full of her stuff & I really do not want to lug 6 to 7 heavy boxes to further clutter up my garage.

I don't think I'm being mean but come on, just get your stuff lady !
I even had to throw away her cosmetics & food items left in the cabinets not including her dog toys strewn all over the yard & 3 broken plastic chairs. Plus the windows were so dirty we had to steam them from the inside & pressure clean the outside due to the grime.

The realtor told me he'll get back to me asap. I am very laid back & always pride myself in being an excellent tenant but I think this is a little too much.

Am I being unreasonable ?

 

[Sinderelly]

No you should expect your rental to be clean and in ""move in" condition. You certainly shouldn't have to move someone else's belongings or clean up after them. I wouls ask the property manager for compensation ($$ off the rent) for not having full use of the property (garage and storage shed). You sound like you are the type of person who likes things clean. The owner is lucky to have you as a tenant.

 

[21hearts]

Were you told that the owner was going to leave stuff at the house?

My next question is: if something goes missing from the shed is the owner going to hold you responsible for it?

I certainly do not think you are being mean. I would be really ticked if we rented a house with a 2 car garage and then couldn't use it because the owners stuff was still there. I would expect to be able to use the garage on the day I moved in.

ETA: I agree with the PP about the house should of been move in ready.

 

[semo233]

There are state laws that govern how this should be handled. If you used a realtor, they may also be able to advise you.
I believe that I have heard in the past that you should sent a letter to the owner and previous tenent, registered and delivery confirmed, about the items. List as many as possible and their location. Give a specific date (two or three weeks) as to when they need to be picked up and a phone number where they can contact you to arrange for pick up. If the items have not been picked up by that date, they are considered abandoned and will be sold and the profits kept or given to charity or applied to the cleaning costs assiciated to the condition of the house.

And NO, you are not being mean. You are being a responsible tenant.

 

[pandora174]

I have the document that shows that the house would be clean & ALL personal belongings removed. I'm going to wait for the realtor to reply later today but I want her stuff gone. It's dusty, dirty & the garage is not safe for my DS 8 since it's full of paints, chemicals etc.

My main concern is that we are in Hurricane season so we can fit 1 car but not both. And I do not want to be responsible for her "valuables". I think I've been nice enough & will give him a deadline to get rid of this stuff.

My DH just found a BICYCLE in the attic On a lighter note did she think I was going to need her used towels & bars of used soap as well (yes I threw that out as well)

 

[mrssmith06]

No! It was in writing, they agreed to have the items removed and should have done so before you were scheduled to move in. And since it was in writing that the stuff would be removed, you should not be held responsible should her valuables get broken or stolen. That would be HER fault. I would be extremely annoyed in your shoes!!

 

[YO's Mom]

Ug. Some people. I had a similar problem with my current house, except I was buying it. I actually held up closing for 2.5 hours while a huge pile of garbage (like 2 pick-up truck loads) was hauled up and out of my basement.

The house should have been clean. As for the valuables in the shed . . . seriously, what is she going to say if all the good stuff is missing? Were you supposed to be taking care of her junk (without even knowing it was there)? Crazy.

 

[spacemountainmom]

No - the owner needs to get her "stuff" out of the house immediately!

I agree with PP who asked for a rent reduction. You had to clean and you've been storing stuff. I would talk to the property manager and ask him what the going rate for cleaning is. I would also make a couple of calls regarding pricing of storage units.

 

[disneymomoftwins]

Make pictures of the items if you havent already

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I'd be making sure the owners are still making that mortgage payment too sounds really strange to me that someone moves and leaves belongings like that.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

you're not a meanie - in fact I think you're being a lot nicer than I would have been!

When we bought our first house the previous owner left lots of stuff he "thought we could use" like jars of old screws/ nails and about a million wire coat hangers - yeah thanks .... Luckily we bought the house for a good price and had planned a week of renovating before moving in so we had time to clean (yup left that for us too).

You've been more than patient - it's time for the stuff to go and if I were you I'd be pushing for a rent reduction for the time you've had to store it and for the clean up you had to do. I think the PP suggestion of photographs is a good one.

 

[*Seanaci*]

You are not being unreasonable at all. It was in the contract that all of the owners items would me removed and the house would be cleaned before you moved in. None of that happened.

What stuns me is that the owner moved to another state and left so many items behind. Sorry but if I had items of that much value they would have been first on my moving truck.

Good luck! Hope everything is sorted out quickly for you.

 

[pandora174]

Just got a text from the realtor that the owner will have someone come over for the boxes. If I could get them together for her in the shed, stacked & ready for pickup (unknown how or when)

I politely wrote back that the boxes are everywhere & quite heavy. To let me know the name of the person, the time & date so I can give them access to my backyard since the fence is closed & I want either DH or myself present to protect myself & the owner. I'm not having some stranger walk in & also they can pick up the boxes where Mrs. X left them

Then I reminded him about the garage & also pointed out that we are in Hurricane season & I can't fit my car due to all her junk still there. I leased a 2 car garage for that reason & so DH can work on his car.

Let's see his reply. I hate to be a pain but the owner seems to take this lightly, in my opinion, & doesn't realize I'm her tenant & I'm paying a decent rent & not her "buddy who can do a favor".

p.s. I had the realtor & owner checked out & all was in the up & up. This is the first time she's rented her home since she purchased it in 1981 & just seems to think that I "wouldn't mind". I also had a clause put it in the lease that the house is not in foreclosure & the security deposit is in an escrow account. I also checked out the court records & she owns the house out right. Nothing is a guarantee but she quit her job to move in with her son & my rent payment is her income.