Removing others property from my land

[rob0r]

I hope this is the right place for this, I'm just after some advice. The situation is my family own a farm and previously (stupidly) I have allowed others to have a workshop and store stuff in disused outbuildings.

It was an informal arrangement, we aren't a storage business and this was more to help them out. Long story short is that they're stuff is allover the place, they don't come anymore and they are simply treating it as a dump, I just want their stuff gone.

I informally told one of them they had three months to move their property or I will dispose of it as I see fit. This has been and gone with nothing being moved and before I go any further I wanted to check what my options are.

There's a lot of valuable stuff left, classic cars (in bits), tools, engines, spare parts. All I want is this stuff cleared...

If we were a proper business then we could enact evictions and formally write about disposing of property, but we're not.

Can I sell / giveaway / scrap this stuff without any comeback... If I could get rid of the stuff without any cost to me then that would be best! I'm definitely not interested in making any money from selling stuff...

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

[M4cruiser]

Based on similar past cases, you have the right to dispose of the stuff, but not until you've given them reasonably time, notice and opportunity to do it themselves ... and that means in writing, probably using a solicitor in case you end up in court and need to prove you told them.

[Jaybmw]

Send a picture of you, a bulldozer and all the crap in the background. Give it 1 day and if no movement have fun

[hotchy]

"Joe mate, thanks for clearing that stuff pal"


"What?"

"Oh no... its not been.. stolen has it!??!"

Solved.

[borcy]

I think an hour with a local solicitors might a good idea, especially as some of the things sound like they might be worth a few quid.


Do you know why it's been left, have you spoken to them?

[Bright Halo]

Take a few pictures of the stuff and have an hour with a solicitor to make sure you don’t get any comeback.
If not done properly they may be able to come after you for loss/value of items which could all be made up.
Worth £100? With a solicitor to be on safe side.

[Graveworm]

If it is valuable then you are unlikely to be able to dump it. You never get title to the goods. If you jump through some hoops you can sell it for good value (The buyer then does become the owner) and then give the proceeds to the former owner.
Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 is what covers it and it is never going to win a plain English award. Getting some advice, from someone with professional indemnity insurance, is the best idea.

Edited by Graveworm on Saturday 18th January 13:37

[bobtail4x4]

a mate left a landrover here "for a few weeks" after about 12 years and as we no longer see each other, I insisted he move it,
I had to take photos for him to sell it on ebay.

no way was I waiting in when the buyer wanted to collect,

another few mates have left stuff but I now tell them its free for six months and a quid a week after that.

get someone in to clear the stuff, and deduct the cost and storage from the money

[popeyewhite]

Thread title for exemplar of an apostrophe conspicuous by its absence!

[Alucidnation]

I would say it’s been fly tipped.

Loads of that going on at the moment!

[rfisher]

PH is slipping.

What's the car (note correct use of apostrophe)?

[PAULJ5555]

You said you told them informally, can you now tell the formally. Tell them you have had a suspected break in and the local travellers have been sniffing about for metal, this might hurry them up.

[fred bloggs]

Id have thought a txt along the lines of 'you have one month to remove your stuff,or it'll be disposed of' would suffice.

Its in writing, and the stuff is on your property. You have given reasonable notice.

[Pica-Pica]

Bright Halo said:

Take a few pictures of the stuff and have an hour with a solicitor to make sure you don’t get any comeback.
If not done properly they may be able to come after you for loss/value of items which could all be made up.
Worth £100? With a solicitor to be on safe side.

Agreed. And get assurance from the solicitors, and/or additional insurance to cover any comeback. Could you claim any of it is now becoming a health and safety hazard to people or livestock?

[Derek Smith]

Going back a bit now, but an abusive live-in boyfriend assaulted his girlfriend, giving her bruising around the eyes and bloody lips. Boyfriend was a mechanic for an F1 team so out of the country a fair bit. Warrant issued. About 18 months later, I got a phone call from the victim asking for advice.

She was leaving to take over a shop in the EU and said that she's appreciate some advice on what to do with his property. Two garages were full of F1 memorabilia. There were half blocks of DFVs, heads, internals, tyres (?) and enough clothing to supply M&S, even before their current downturn. There was other stuff as well, including autographed pictures.

She got free legal advice and sold the items to a company in the Thames Valley. If there was ever a claim on her for the property, she could charge for storage, expenses for selling, plus injuries, including being so afraid of him that she felt she had to leave the country. I doubt there would be much in the kitty after that.

If the chap returns to the UK he'll be nicked. No one, certainly not me, nor the officer in the case, has a forwarding address for the woman.

The brief gave her a leaflet on the matter, so I would assume having items left on your land is a regular thing, with 'accepted' protocols and procedures.

See a brief.

[tinnitusjosh]

Absolutely love this reply:

Graveworm said:

Getting some advice, from someone with professional indemnity insurance, is the best idea.

immediately followed by:

fesuvious said:

stuff has been dumped on your land. There is no agreement and no payments. it's dumped. Do whatever you want with it.

Peak SP&L

[rob0r]

Thanks for the replies, it's really appreciated. I'm not going to mention the cars for now....

I informed him via Facebook Messenger at the end of August that anything left by the end of 2019 would be considered abandoned. He responded giving me a sob story and that he would do it... Nothing since and nothing has shifted.

I was hoping to get a definite answer without involving solicitors, mainly as I'm going to struggle to find time to go visit one!

Thanks for the lengthy reply Derek, that does give me hope.

[vaud]

rob0r said:

T
I was hoping to get a definite answer without involving solicitors, mainly as I'm going to struggle to find time to go visit one!

You shouldn't have to visit - you can probably write up the history in a simple (use bullet points and dates) email and arrange a short consultation phone call? Then send the email in advance and it will probably help the solicitor? Just ring round a few local firms?

[CoolHands]

Set fire to it

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

If it was me I'd personally just bin it all off. They've had opportunity to sort it out themselves and haven't shown any interest. What are they honestly going to do if they eventually come back and their stuff is gone? They haven't got a leg to stand on.