DPS survey uncovers the things that tenants leave in property

Every letting agent has stories about things that tenants leave behind; some silly, some sad, some revolting. Apparently ‘grown-up toys’ are the number one item left behind by tenants when they move out of a property according to a survey by the Deposit Protection Service.

In a poll of more than 1000 landlords across the UK, ‘grown-up toys’ were the most frequently left behind item that landlords had to dispose of. Animals, both dead and alive also scored highly on the list. Tenants left behind a stuffed parrot, guinea pigs, a large dead fish in a recycling bin and even a snake living under the floorboards.

Kevin Firth, Director of the DPS said “cleaning up after tenants is often a big job for landlords but this research shows that it’s not always just dirt they have to contend with”.

“One landlord told us that a former tenant, a postman, had left behind bags of unopened mail in the attic. Another told us that he found a batch of winning lottery scratch cards in the property, while another said that he had been showing a prospective tenant around a property and found a complete stranger asleep in the bedroom!”

The top 10 most bizarre items left behind

1. *** toys
2. An elephant’s foot
3. The ashes of a dead person
4. A pot bellied pig
5. A box containing nail clippings
6. A crash test dummy
7. A pair of synthetic breasts
8. A glass bowl covered with clingfilm containing 17 live spiders
9. A plastic hand with a fork attached
10. 7 cans of gravy

Source: PROPERTYdrum