My rights regarding bins left on my property

JoeFritzl

Hi, I recently purchased a property and the previous owners' bins are here. They told me not to worry about it and that they had contacted the bin company and will have them removed soon as their account is closed.

I contacted the company today as the bins are still here, they told me that the account is indeed closed but because the bins are full they won't be removing them. They told me I should either empty the bins myself, or pay them €20 for each bin. This seems a little unfair for me to have to pay for another person's bins and furthermore I'm slightly concerned about potentially opening myself up to issues if I'm to pay on someone else's account.

Lastly, I had planned to send them a legal letter or perhaps an invoice for storage as the bins are currently on my property and I'd like them to remove them for free. It has nothing to do with me, they're not my bins. How should I proceed from a legal perspective?

blindsider

Not a legal bod but......

Contact previous owner. Explain €20 charge. Give them 1 week to have the bins removed - how is up to them.

Notify Council of your actions - if you have the previous owners details I would forward to the council.

If no action after 1 week, move bins to street.

cml387

Surely an easy way out is to sign up with the bin company and have them deal with it as normal collections. You need a refuse collection company anyway.

JoeFritzl

cml387 wrote: »

Surely an easy way out is to sign up with the bin company and have them deal with it as normal collections. You need a refuse collection company anyway.

I don't want to use that bin company, as I've always used a different one. Also with the way they're handling this I can't see why I should reward them with a new customer. Furthermore, I'd imagine that if I were to enter into a contract with them for bins, I would now be putting myself in a position where I may actually be obliged to pay the removal fee for the rubbish currently in the bins.

blindsider wrote: »

Not a legal bod but......

Contact previous owner. Explain €20 charge. Give them 1 week to have the bins removed - how is up to them.

Notify Council of your actions - if you have the previous owners details I would forward to the council.

If no action after 1 week, move bins to street.

I was considering contacting the council. Sorry if this is in the wrong section; wasn't sure where to post it.

I have contacted the previous owner who has told me they cancelled their account. They're in the same position as me and have tried to have them removed, but ultimately it doesn't affect them anymore so they're understandably not bothered phoning the company to get a response. The account is closed now so I can't see them doing anything to get them removed.

rameire

you could place the bin on the public highway.
contact the council and the bin company, dont say who you are and say that it looks like some bins have been abandoned on the road.
the bin tags will be assigned to the previous owner.

Mod
Boards/ie do not condone this advice
Could lead to legal action against boards.ie

JoeFritzl

rameire wrote: »

you could place the bin on the public highway.
contact the council and the bin company, dont say who you are and say that it looks like some bins have been abandoned on the road.
the bin tags will be assigned to the previous owner.

I imagine since I've previously contacted the company and the bins were last located at my property that I'd be opening myself to legal issues there and could be fined for dumping.

Paddygreen

Push them down the road and forget about them

Mod
No!

cruizer101

In a way its no different to if the previous owner left a load of rubbish in the shed, it just happens to be in the bins.
Its s**t but its now your problem, had it been raised before handover of keys you maybe could have done something.

Its also bit crap of bin company to charge more than a standard fee for it.
You could try wait them out they may decide to just take the bins anyway.
Have you tried just leaving them out on the road to see if the binmen just empty them anyway.

JoeFritzl

cruizer101 wrote: »

In a way its no different to if the previous owner left a load of rubbish in the shed, it just happens to be in the bins.
Its s**t but its now your problem, had it been raised before handover of keys you maybe could have done something.

Its also bit crap of bin company to charge more than a standard fee for it.
You could try wait them out they may decide to just take the bins anyway.
Have you tried just leaving them out on the road to see if the binmen just empty them anyway.

That's what I probably will do. I don't like the prospect of illegally dumping things, so I might try to contact the council about it.

Hannibal_Smith

Wow that's really poor on the part of the previous owner. Unless they had paid for a final lift to close the account, but the bin company haven't linked it with you?

I'd go back to your solicitor and ask them to check with the vendors solicitor whether the vendor had paid for a final lift or come to some arrangement with the bin company.

I doubt you'll get anywhere, as someone further up the thread said, you should make sure the property is clear before closing, but I doubt you thought to look in the bins. I certainly wouldnt have thought of it!

Again, if they waltzed out and left you to deal with their rubbish, I think that's really bad form.

JoeFritzl

Hannibal_Smith wrote: »

Wow that's really poor on the part of the previous owner. Unless they had paid for a final lift to close the account, but the bin company haven't linked it with you?

I'd go back to your solicitor and ask them to check with the vendors solicitor whether the vendor had paid for a final lift or come to some arrangement with the bin company.

I doubt you'll get anywhere, as someone further up the thread said, you should make sure the property is clear before closing, but I doubt you thought to look in the bins. I certainly wouldnt have thought of it!

Again, if they waltzed out and left you to deal with their rubbish, I think that's really bad form.

It is, but I'm not expecting them to deal with it anymore as they don't seem interested in doing so.

It's between them and the bin company from what I see. I'm surprised the bin company isn't itching to get their property back. I know bins aren't expensive but it feels like they're holding me hostage with this, in that I have to pay them a fee for them to remove THEIR property from mine?

Hannibal_Smith

JoeFritzl wrote: »

It is, but I'm not expecting them to deal with it anymore as they don't seem interested in doing so.

It's between them and the bin company from what I see. I'm surprised the bin company isn't itching to get their property back. I know bins aren't expensive but it feels like they're holding me hostage with this, in that I have to pay them a fee for them to remove THEIR property from mine?

I'd be furious tbh. You may get no where with it, but at least it might make them feel a twinge of shame if they have to tell their solicitor they left the bins full for you to deal with.

All of that was supposed to be taken care of by them before closing, or at least communicated to you if they couldn't get a collection done before closing.

ELM327

put them in the road, away from your house
Not your rubbish not your problem

Mod
If you do that it may become your problem

JoeFritzl

Hannibal_Smith wrote: »

I'd be furious tbh. You may get no where with it, but at least it might make them feel a twinge of shame if they have to tell their solicitor they left the bins full for you to deal with.

All of that was supposed to be taken care of by them before closing, or at least communicated to you if they couldn't get a collection done before closing.

Basically at this point I just want advice on how to proceed with respect to the bin company. I'm angry at them; this is a debt owed to them by another person, and it's pathetic that they expect me to pay for someone else I barely know.

punisher5112

Get a skip, throw them in with all the other sh1te. Left that you don't want.

punisher5112

ELM327 wrote: »

put them in the road, away from your house
Not your rubbish not your problem

Can still be done for littering though....

Was this not all arranged in sale and with solicitor?
Maybe contact the solicitor you used.

JoeFritzl

punisher5112 wrote: »

Get a skip, throw them in with all the other sh1te. Left that you don't want.

There's actually not that much else left. In fact there's a lot missing (such as light bulbs which the previous owner took with them).

I definitely don't need a skip to get rid of anything that is here, so that'd be a more expensive solution. I also don't want the company finding out that I did that and blaming me.

JoeFritzl

punisher5112 wrote: »

Can still be done for littering though....

Was this not all arranged in sale and with solicitor?
Maybe contact the solicitor you used.

There was no mention of it when purchasing. Solicitors basically have nothing to do with the deal anymore, and I don't feel like dealing with my solicitor again since he seems to be primarily interested in issuing new charges for all sorts.

Dtp1979

Leave them out in the street. Call the bin company anonymously and tell them there’s 2 of their bins on the path that haven’t been collected.

Tiger20

I must be missing something, you've bought a house and worried that someone left the bins full that will cost you €40 to empty? Put that into perspective compare to the cost of the house, engineer, legal fees etc. I've bid on properties that increase in price by thousands, what if the auctioneer had rang you up and said another bidder had bid €35 more than you and that was his limit, would you have worried about the house costing €40 more? Just get the bins emptied and don't worry about it ever again

ELM327

punisher5112 wrote: »

Can still be done for littering though....

Was this not all arranged in sale and with solicitor?
Maybe contact the solicitor you used.

Yes, and if they do the research and use identifying info from the rubbish, guess whose info they will see!

Reputable Rog

JoeFritzl wrote: »

I don't want to use that bin company, as I've always used a different one. Also with the way they're handling this I can't see why I should reward them with a new customer. Furthermore, I'd imagine that if I were to enter into a contract with them for bins, I would now be putting myself in a position where I may actually be obliged to pay the removal fee for the rubbish currently in the


I was considering contacting the council. Sorry if this is in the wrong section; wasn't sure where to post it.

I have contacted the previous owner who has told me they cancelled their account. They're in the same position as me and have tried to have them removed, but ultimately it doesn't affect them anymore so they're understandably not bothered phoning the company to get a response. The account is closed now so I can't see them doing anything to get them removed.

Write to the company with a complaint and ask for a reference number.
If the complaint is not resolved write to the local authority with the complaint and the reference number.

An email to the CCPC might help as well.

punisher5112

Unfortunately the new owner takes on whatever is left or not as they had no bulbs...


See can a deal be made and say half the cost and they take their bins back....

JoeFritzl

Tiger20 wrote: »

I must be missing something, you've bought a house and worried that someone left the bins full that will cost you €40 to empty? Put that into perspective compare to the cost of the house, engineer, legal fees etc. I've bid on properties that increase in price by thousands, what if the auctioneer had rang you up and said another bidder had bid €35 more than you and that was his limit, would you have worried about the house costing €40 more? Just get the bins emptied and don't worry about it ever again

It's more a matter of principle. I now have the task of fitting out the entire property, furnishing it, decorating it and so on. I'm not throwing away €60 which could pay for a bucket of paint. Put that into perspective, if I keep throwing away money for every little thing my budget will soon run out. I shouldn't have to pay this. I'd rather give the money to charity.

JoeFritzl

Reputable Rog wrote: »

Write to the company with a complaint and ask for a reference number.
If the complaint is not resolved write to the local authority with the complaint and the reference number.

An email to the CCPC might help as well.

Thanks I'll do so now. What kind of stuff should I mention in a complaint though? I want to clarify that I'm in no way involved in the contract and I shouldn't therefore have to pay.

NewClareman

Paddygreen wrote: »

Push them down the road and forget about them.

Poor form, in the middle of a pandemic, TBH.

JoeFritzl wrote: »

I don't want to use that bin company, as I've always used a different one.

Why don't you just sign up with your preferred company, transfer the rubbish, and be good to go? I understand that you're annoyed, but life's short...

JoeFritzl

NewClareman wrote: »

Poor form, in the middle of a pandemic, TBH.




Why don't you just sign up with your preferred company, transfer the rubbish, and be good to go? I understand that you're annoyed, but life's short...

The bins are literally full, so it would make it impossible for me to use the bins for that time. All three of them are full to the top, since they were left out on the street and more people put stuff in them.

Fann Linn

A civil matter between two private individuals, why should the council get involved?

secondrowgal

I was going to say I can't believe all the "dump them/the rubbish" responses on here, but then I remember that I have to clean up after mucky bastards outside my own property every single week and realise I shouldn't be one bit surprised. Shame on you that are advocating dumping/littering.

OP - sorry that this has happened to you. It's bad form for sure, and fair play for wanting to get it disposed of correctly. Sorry I can't offer any particularly helpful advice.

hurikane

They’re your bins Fritzl. You bought the house, bins and all.

Bikerman2019

Leave them out for collection on collection day. They are not yours or your responsibility. Notify the company they can collect them.


Leave it at that.

NewClareman

JoeFritzl wrote: »

The bins are literally full, so it would make it impossible for me to use the bins for that time. All three of them are full to the top, since they were left out on the street and more people put stuff in them.

Ah, ok. It looks like the original owner left them out to be collected and that third parties then filled them. I would ring the rubbish company, again, telling them that. I would also ring the council and tell them that the refuse company has abandoned their bins, outside your property and that they're now full of rubbish.

Fann Linn

NewClareman wrote: »

Ah, ok. It looks like the original owner left them out to be collected and that third parties then filled them. I would ring the rubbish company, again, telling them that. I would also ring the council and tell them that the refuse company has abandoned their bins, outside your property and that they're now full of rubbish.

The OP said they're ON his property.

You inherited the rubbish with the house. Much like you inherited any boundary issues, or damaged floor tiles or, as someone said previously, a shed full of rubbish.

The council won't have any part of it. It's not their problem. The bin company said they'll lift them for €60 (which I think is relatively reasonable, to be fair). If you dump them, the tags will be read and, yes, they previous owner's name might be on the tag, but your address is on it, and you've already informed the bin company that you are in possession of the bins.


I know this is going a bit off topic, but if I had sold my house, and I got a call off he new owner giving out about bins, I'd be very annoyed. How did you get their details? I thought the new and old owners rarely ever (or never) actually met? Solicitor hardly gave you the details?

the_syco

JoeFritzl wrote: »

There's actually not that much else left. In fact there's a lot missing (such as light bulbs which the previous owner took with them).

Find out when that bin company collects the bins. Leave the bins out on the road for collection that day, with a 4 pack of cheap booze on top of one of the bins. When they get emptied, notify the bin company.

If the bin company contacts you, let them know that you don't have a contract with them, and they're not your bins. If the previous owner gets fined, tough.

hots

Thorntons took away 6 full bin loads and 3 of the bins themselves when I got my current place. No charge or hassle at all.

Lyra Fangs

I had this issue when I moved into my previous house, now I was renting but I assume the same principles still apply. The bins were both full and I also wanted to change companies as I was moving over my a/c that I'd had for years.

Initially the bin company were adamant that they were my responsibility to empty as they couldn't take them away full. I explained that it was nothing to do with me and was leftover from the previous account holder. They were not my bins so they couldn't just dump this duty on me. It took a while and a lot of back and forth through webchat but they finally 'found' the previous tenant's a/c on their system, apologized and then after maybe a week and a half finally removed the bins.

I'm not sure who you're dealing with but my crowd were beyond unhelpful. Compare that to Thortons who basically couldn't do enough for me when I was moving.

Shelli2

Paddygreen wrote: »

Push them down the road and forget about them.

This.
We had the same issue when moving house. My OH had so many arguements with previous owners bin company he eventually told them he was leaving them on the local road and they could collect them there. They were the companies property and not ours, they'd get fined by the council for leaving them if not collected. They had them gone within 24hrs.

ArthurG

Shelli2 wrote: »

This.
We had the same issue when moving house. My OH had so many arguements with previous owners bin company he eventually told them he was leaving them on the local road and they could collect them there. They were the companies property and not ours, they'd get fined by the council for leaving them if not collected. They had them gone within 24hrs.

Great way to introduce yourself to new neighbours. The new folks who left a couple of wheelie bins full of rubbish in the street.

colm_mcm

Would you not just leave them in the basement?

Shelli2

ArthurG wrote: »

Great way to introduce yourself to new neighbours. The new folks who left a couple of wheelie bins full of rubbish in the street.

We didn't actually leave them out, when the bin company was threatened with fines from the council they agreed to collect them.

Lundstram

Are they wheelie bins, and are they in good condition?

If so, put an ad up on Donedeal and Adverts in the freebie section. State clearly they're free to take away but full of rubbish. I guarantee you someone will want them.

Ginger83

JoeFritzl wrote: »

Hi, I recently purchased a property and the previous owners' bins are here. They told me not to worry about it and that they had contacted the bin company and will have them removed soon as their account is closed.

I contacted the company today as the bins are still here, they told me that the account is indeed closed but because the bins are full they won't be removing them. They told me I should either empty the bins myself, or pay them €20 for each bin. This seems a little unfair for me to have to pay for another person's bins and furthermore I'm slightly concerned about potentially opening myself up to issues if I'm to pay on someone else's account.

Lastly, I had planned to send them a legal letter or perhaps an invoice for storage as the bins are currently on my property and I'd like them to remove them for free. It has nothing to do with me, they're not my bins. How should I proceed from a legal perspective?

A long time ago i had the same problem, bins left full. I was told they had to be paid to be lifted. I said I was leaving them out to be picked up and if they were not I was leaving them at the entrance of the estate.

They were gone the next day.

Lundstram

Lundstram wrote: »

Are they wheelie bins, and are they in good condition?

If so, put an ad up on Donedeal and Adverts in the freebie section. State clearly they're free to take away but full of rubbish. I guarantee you someone will want them.

Yes but the person who's likely to take someone else's wheelie bins, is unlikely to have their own wheelie bin service. Meaning you'd be looking at the rubbish blowing around your estate for ages, as that person will just dump them anyway and away with the actual bins (which you can't sell, as they don't belong to you, anyway).

Darc19

So you spent €300,000/€400,000 or whatever on a property and you are getting het up over €20 cost of emptying a bin and claiming it's "the principle"

Ffs

Life is far too short.

Marcusm

JoeFritzl wrote: »

That's what I probably will do. I don't like the prospect of illegally dumping things, so I might try to contact the council about it.

If you still have contact with the old owner tell them to call the bin company and settle the charge. The standard contract terms require rubbish to be removed at their expense. If they want to pay the legal bill to force the €20 then tell them it’s generally nicer not to act like a see you next Tuesday. Otherwise pay the €20 to eliminate the irritation. Is it dirty or clean rubblish? Have you your new bins such that you could decant into your bins over time?

Marcusm

ELM327 wrote: »

put them in the road, away from your house
Not your rubbish not your problem

That would be an offence!

vintagecosmos

Had this issue myself in the past. The bins are their property. I told them to collect it or I will start charging storage. Granted my threat probably had zero impact, they just probably thought this guy isnt worth the hassle and collected them...

Marcusm

JoeFritzl wrote: »

The bins are literally full, so it would make it impossible for me to use the bins for that time. All three of them are full to the top, since they were left out on the street and more people put stuff in them.

New information. If they were out on the street Then it is not your problem. Notify the local council of the contact details. I had this issue with DVmCC and funnily enough they were quick to get in contact with the miscreant.

Marcusm

hurikane wrote: »

They’re your bins Fritzl. You bought the house, bins and all.

Not if they were already on the street.

hurikane

Marcusm wrote: »

Not if they were already on the street.

Well according to the thread title.....