Tenants leave behind some truly bizarre items when they move out from the weird and amusing to just annoying, according to a survey carried out by Direct Line insurance.

It surveyed 500 landlords who reported live animals caused most problems having found aquariums with fish still swimming inside, but no forwarding address. Hamsters had also been left in cages with no care instructions. The tenants had vanished.

false teeth

One landlord discovered a set of false teeth in a bathroom cabinet. Others found elaborate porcelain doll collections arranged throughout homes. A complete home brewing setup turned up in a garage, complete with dozens of unmarked bottles nobody dared open.

Sheds and lofts concealed yet more surprises. Vintage car parts are common. As are boxes of vinyl records from the 1970s. And one landlord found what appeared to be an entire record collection spanning decades.

Other finds suggest the tenants left in extreme haste. Passports turn up with surprising regularity. Birth certificates lie forgotten in drawers. Family photo albums are abandoned.

Baffling

A single glass slipper remains one of the most baffling discoveries. It sat alone in an otherwise completely empty wardrobe, leaving the landlord to wonder what on earth the story was behind it.

There are also all the usual items, too – clothes hangers, cleaning products, maybe a piece of furniture or two and huge amounts of common or garden rubbish.

So much so that many contracts now regularly include explicit clauses requiring all belongings be removed. And many landlords charge disposal fees for items left behind.

Not only do abandoned belongings cause logistical headaches, but they can also result in significant costs and delays.”

However, not everything goes in a skip. Landlords also report occasionally finding valuable antiques or jewellery, which they return to grateful former tenants, many of whom didn’t even realise they were missing, including, according to the survey, a piece of jewellery worth several thousand pounds.

Jonny McHugh, Head of Landlord at Direct Line business insurance, says: “Our findings shine a light on an often-overlooked problem faced by landlords across the UK. Not only do abandoned belongings cause logistical headaches, but they can also result in significant costs and delays.”