Titillating tales of tenants’ secret lives
Sex toys are the number one item left behind by tenants when they move out of a property, according to a new survey by The Deposit Protection Service (DPS).
In a poll of more than 1000 landlords across the UK, sex toys were the most frequently left behind item landlords had to dispose of.
The biennial poll of landlords reveals that Brits have a penchant for ‘marital aids’ (of all shapes, sizes and colours), 1970s pornographic magazines, raunchy underwear, bondage equipment and blow up sex dolls!
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 and mess 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 the property and found a complete stranger asleep in the bedroom!”
As well as sex toys and animals, other bizarre items left behind included: the engine from a lorry, a phallic shaped multi coloured door draft excluder, an inflatable Father Christmas and half a dozen milk crates.
Mr Firth added:
“We would encourage all tenants at the end of their tenancy to tidy the property appropriately and only leave behind items that were on the original inventory. This will help ensure that their deposit is returned in full.
“As the only custodial deposit protection scheme accredited by the Government, we are here to protect both landlords and tenants. In the event of a problem at the end of a tenancy our free and independent resolution service can be a good way of settling a dispute without the need to go to court”.
Since 2007 landlords have been obligated under law to protect their tenants’ deposits by registering with a tenancy deposit protection scheme.
The DPS is a completely free custodial scheme which receives the deposit from the landlord or letting agent and holds on to it for the duration of the tenancy. Since 2007, almost 200,000 landlords and 17,000 letting agencies have used the scheme.
Top 10 most bizarre items left-behind:
1. Sex Toys
2. An elephant’s foot
3. 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 cling film containing 17 live spiders
9. A plastic hand with a fork attached
10. 7 cans of gravy granules
For more information, visit: depositprotection.com