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Tenants leave agent stunned at some of the items stolen

Televisions, boilers and even beds are incredibly among some of the larger items stolen by tenants in the North East of England, according to a local letting agent.

A recent survey by Direct Line for Business found that 30% of tenants who have rented a property in the last five years think it is acceptable to take items that do not belong to them when they leave their rental property, with Ajay Jagota of letting agency KIS identifying items such as television, boilers and even a king-sized beds among some of the strangest items removed by tenants without consent.

Various reasons for taking items from rented properties were given and included believing that the landlord would not notice that the item was missing, taking items by accident and forgetting that the item was not theirs.

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However, the most common excuse – given by more than a fifth of respondents who admitted that they had stolen items – was simply that they wanted to take them.

Ajay Jagota at KIS said: “It’s not just a case of some tenants taking everything but the kitchen sink, in some cases they take that too.

“I’ve seen entire boilers and copper pipes taken from rental properties and heard of tenants helping themselves to the telly, a DVD player and even a king-sized bed.

“In that case, and I’m sure many others too, they also left the property in poor condition and owing their landlords hundreds of pounds in rent – so the deposit they left behind didn’t come close to covering the costs their landlord was left with.”

The cost to the landlord of replacing these items adds up, with tenants estimating that the overall value of items they had taken from a property stands at over £500.

“These costs all add up – say £2,000 for a boiler, £400 for a new bed and mattress, £250 for a new fridge-freezer, £150 for a decent-sized telly. And it’s the next tenants who will lose out when rents go up to pay for it all,” Jagota added. 

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  •  G romit

    Surely the cost of stolen items will be deducted from the Tenants deposit? And if the deposit (with other dilapidations deducted) doesn't cover the costs won't the Landlord pursue the former Tenant?

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    Barry F, you are clearly not a landlord. Otherwise you would be aware that the cost of pursuing tenants through the courts is virtually always more costly than simply replacing the lost/damaged items.

    And that is providing you can find the tenants in the first place. They don't usually leave a forwarding address.

    Shocker. I know.

     
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    £2000 for a boiler ? your kidding

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