Tricky Situation - Furniture Dispute

Tenant Discussion
1

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.

2

Hi

I don’t see that the friend/landlord has any claim to the bed frames given they weren’t supplied or bought by them. Whether you take them is up to you.

Your friend may have been thinking she was also helping herself and that the bed frames would belong to the flat but given she isn’t the landlord unless there is something in writing to the contrary they would be assumed to belong to you.

1 Like
3

So the bed frames were not part of the furniture left? Then she has nothing to do with it.

Furniture included in the rental should be on a signed inventory and supplied by the LL. The furniture is yours.

1 Like
4

No inventory or proof of ownership or payment for the furniture by the landlord? No leg to stand on. If you have a deposit held by a regulated provides (TDS, DPS or similar) and the landlord tries to claim against it, they will be shown the door rather quickly. You might want to expalin this to the landlord directly and leave your ‘friend’ out of it. You have no contractual relationship with the granddaughter.