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Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

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jakejungle
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Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by jakejungle » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 1:00 am

Hi,
We are ppl renting a house. One of our previous flatmates moving out, but he still keeps a lot of his stuff back in our house (we don't know why ?) He promised to come to collect it many times but still, he never comes to collect it.

So, what should we do now ? Is it illegal to throw his stuff out ?
Some points:
1. His name is not in the tenancy agreement since he only stays for a short time
2. He made promises to come to collect but he never comes.

And anyone know is there any authorities know how to settles these thing? should we report to police or community disputes resolution tribunal first ?
Last edited by jakejungle on Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:28 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PNGMK
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Re: Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by PNGMK » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 9:03 am

It's a legal nightmare disposing of abandoned goods in Singapore because the the law is not currently clear on abandonment - I had to look into this some time back. There is not a clear definition of property law for abandoned goods or what consists of abandonment (i.e. you cannot make an assumption that items have been abandoned) so you have to create it by writing a letter.

Cover your ass. Write a letter (registered post if possible) giving him one month to remove items or they will be considered to have been abandoned and will be disposed off. Keep a copy of the letter. If you make any money selling his stuff deduct only reasonable costs and remit the balance to him. You cannot charge for storage without a contract in place I believe. If there are obviously important documents (photos or diplomas) keep those for him or post to him. IF he makes a police report show them the letter as defence. If he complains stick to the date in the letter - "we gave you one month from the 5th Oct - the clock is ticking - come and get your shite deadbeat". He cannot reset the clock without your agreement.

The reason he has done this is that storage is expensive in Singapore.

Note: you can freely throw perishable or noxious items away now - you're covered there as they are a health hazard to you.
I not lawyer/teacher/CPA.
You've been arrested? Law Society of Singapore can provide referrals.
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jakejungle
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Re: Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by jakejungle » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:47 pm

PNGMK wrote:
Mon, 05 Oct 2020 9:03 am
It's a legal nightmare disposing of abandoned goods in Singapore because the the law is not currently clear on abandonment - I had to look into this some time back. There is not a clear definition of property law for abandoned goods or what consists of abandonment (i.e. you cannot make an assumption that items have been abandoned) so you have to create it by writing a letter.

Cover your ass. Write a letter (registered post if possible) giving him one month to remove items or they will be considered to have been abandoned and will be disposed off. Keep a copy of the letter. If you make any money selling his stuff deduct only reasonable costs and remit the balance to him. You cannot charge for storage without a contract in place I believe. If there are obviously important documents (photos or diplomas) keep those for him or post to him. IF he makes a police report show them the letter as defence. If he complains stick to the date in the letter - "we gave you one month from the 5th Oct - the clock is ticking - come and get your shite deadbeat". He cannot reset the clock without your agreement.

The reason he has done this is that storage is expensive in Singapore.

Note: you can freely throw perishable or noxious items away now - you're covered there as they are a health hazard to you.
Thanks for your advice.

About the letter, can we treat our whatsapp message as a defence? We already gave him many deadlines from August end, and he keeps promise to come but never come (all on whatsapp)
We cannot send the letter by registered post cause we dont know here he is now and quite sure he not gonna tell

And do you know is there any authorities know how to settles these thing? should we report to police or community disputes resolution tribunal first ?

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PNGMK
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Re: Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by PNGMK » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:52 pm

If you don't have an address then deliver notice by WhatsApp. Report the items to the police as "abandoned" with an inventory and that you intend to dispose of them.
I not lawyer/teacher/CPA.
You've been arrested? Law Society of Singapore can provide referrals.
You want an International School job? School website or http://www.ISS.edu
Your rugrat needs a School? Avoid for profit schools
You need Tax advice? Ask a CPA
You ran away without doing NS? Shame on you!

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abbby
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Re: Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by abbby » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 4:04 pm

PNGMK wrote:
Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:52 pm
If you don't have an address then deliver notice by WhatsApp. Report the items to the police as "abandoned" with an inventory and that you intend to dispose of them.

Good advice. =D> =D>
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. - Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

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PNGMK
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Re: Previous flatmates moving out but refuse to collect his stuff

Post by PNGMK » Mon, 05 Oct 2020 4:29 pm

"Dear Dickhead. This is a final notice; your crappy items will be disposed off on 15th Nov. Items have been reported to the police as abandoned with a complete inventory supplied as per attached copy of police report. No further discussion or negotiation nor compensation will be entered into and we are not responsible for the safekeeping or transfer of items as of 2359 hours on the 15th Nov in the year of our Lord 2020. God have mercy on your soul." Signed JakeJungle and his 3 good looking housemates.

Keep screenshots and hopefully this retard will read it and a read receipt (double blue tick) will show.
I not lawyer/teacher/CPA.
You've been arrested? Law Society of Singapore can provide referrals.
You want an International School job? School website or http://www.ISS.edu
Your rugrat needs a School? Avoid for profit schools
You need Tax advice? Ask a CPA
You ran away without doing NS? Shame on you!

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