Vacating Plot

[suzynick]

Hi
I am just after some advice as to what other allotment organisations do when someone gives up their plot with regards to equipment that the tenant may leave behind. Sheds, greenhouse etc. We are a privately run allotment and my understanding is that if you vacate your plot, you take what you want to keep and anything left is for the next tenant to use. Someone wants to give up one of their plots to someone on our waiting list, and has mentioned that he had just recently planted an apple tree, so has suggested that the new tenants pay £50 which will cover that and anything else left on the plot. I’m not sure if the £50 includes the rent (I do hope so), but even so that makes for a very expensive apple tree and the new occupants might not actually want an apple tree!

I spoke to another committee member and she thought that the incoming tenant would be expected to make an offer for greenhouses and sheds that are in good condition, but with actual produce you would probably have to accept your losses. She did say that when she took on her plot, one plot that was offered to her had a very run down shed on it and she was told that the vacating tenant expected a contribution! She didn’t take that plot, but surely if you can’t take something with you then you have no other option to leave for the next tenant?

Thoughts/Ideas/what you do on your site would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks

[Greenleaves]

As you have a committee have you not established rules? If you dont have rules whats the point of the committee?

On our site it is simple...take it or forsake it

Any rubbish left behind is removed and the prevous tenant is charged for the privilege

[Snoop Puss]

Crumbs, Suzy. I agree with GS, you should already have rules covering this and other eventualities. Do tenants sign some kind of agreement? Have a look at that and see what the tenant has committed himself to. If there's no stipulation, the best you can do is insist he takes it all with him now on plot vacation, as you can't be negotiating on his behalf with a potential tenant. After all, if someone left stuff behind in a rented flat, they would be forfeiting it and, as GS points out, possibly even paying for its removal.

If you decide on making him take all his old stuff away or forfeit it, give him a deadline by which it has to be done.

[greenishfing]

On our site plotters who are leaving tend to sell or give away sheds/greenhouses in half decent condition. I have seen some weird sights when they have been moved from plot to plot. Anything left is "up for grabs". Nobody gets money from the newbie. They might get lucky and inherit trees.

[veggiechicken]

More answers at https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ots_98658.html

Personally, I think its a bit of try-on to ask £50 for a newly planted apple tree. They should either dig it up and take it away or leave it for the next tenant.
Sheds or greenhouses may have a value but not an apple tree that could be from a £shop.

[suzynick]

As you have a committee have you not established rules? If you dont have rules whats the point of the committee?

On our site it is simple...take it or forsake it

Any rubbish left behind is removed and the prevous tenant is charged for the privilege

Thanks, we have very outdated rules and nothing about this. We are a very small committee with some inactive retired committee members and a few of us that do what we can. Rules need updating but no-one has the time!

[suzynick]

Thanks all for the replies!

[Thelma Sanders]

Yes, everything on a plot is - take it with you or leave it behind. With the best will in the world, having a tenant immediately to hand to sell things to, isn't likely here.
Plots are left empty for a while and sometimes sheds and the like get taken to another plot by other plot holders, before the new ones make themselves known. If I know the plot is taken I put a notice on it to stop others helping themselves. You'd be surprised (or perhaps not!) what people get up to when they think nobody's watching

[Baldy]

We have pretty clear rules about this. Some folks will sell on a shed to new people or other plotholders when they leave but otherwise if they don't shift it its a free for all till someone else takes the plot on - at which point all the stuff left there becomes the property of the new plotholders.

I suggest taking a look for standard allotment rules/contracts online - that's what we did - required a little bit or reworking but was about 95% right for us. We then put it forward at the AGM and got it voted on....

[SarrissUK]

Yeah it's the same on our site - a tenant that is leaving is expected to take everything off the plot that they want, or want to sell before the last day of their tenancy. Up until the point of a new tenancy announced on the council site, we can help ourselves to what we like, though not digging stuff up, I imagine. New tenants don't get help clearing a plot. You get what you're taking on, that's it.
My plot had all the fruit trees I can imagine, and fruit bushes etc. No one had taken them. If anyone had suggested I pay for them, I would've laughed and chosen another plot. It's very cheeky to expect payment from the next plot holder! That's not on! I think it's in your interest to get your rules amended, or your site will get a reputation for being awkward and it will make it less desirable.

[MelanieSW]

According to our allotment bye-laws, the committee has the right to request removal of fruit bushes, sheds etc upon termination of a tenancy, and in theory charge the expenses to the outgoing tenant if necessary.

However I don't think that's really ever enforced, the sheds are all years old and usually simply inherited.

I certainly haven't heard of anybody trying to get money from a new tenant.

[Bluenowhere]

Think we are consistent with most other sites from what I’ve read.
1. Old tenant has right to sell, give away, dig up, take, move or otherwise dispose of anything they want before the tenancy ends.
Moving sheds and greenhouses is quite common as first step is to try and sell them to other plot holders or offer them to friends on the site before elsewhere. Downsizing from multiple plots to one is also common so digging up small trees, bushes etc to take with them in these circumstances does happen. Especially as our tenancies end in December so ideal dormant move time.
2. Committee can ask for anything they class as detrimental to new plot holder to be removed before the plot is returned.
This doesn’t happen often as we have strict rules which are enforced about bringing rubbish, tires, carpet etc etc on site anyway.
3. Anything left then belongs to the prospective new plot holder. We have a waiting list at the moment and are committee managed so it isn’t too long before the new tenant is in place. While the viewing of the plot doesn’t happen until after the old tenancy is completed or termination date is passed so they know everything they see on the plot or in the shed etc is staying.
4. No contributions apply unless the person who is at the top of the waiting list is a current plot holder or someone the current plot holder knows, as 1 can apply, this is completely down to the two individuals to negotiate if there is anything that the new tenant wishes to buy from the outgoing plot holder before tenancy is up, the committee doesn’t get involved, but if they say no to purchase of an item offered to them and it is then left on departure then it belongs to them with no charge allowed to be applied by previous plot holder.
5. No pilfering from other plots even if they appear to be or are known to be vacant. As most people have had the advantage of this rule when they came to site it’s normally respected and anyone caught or reported to the committee for breaking this rule is spoken to by committee and warned that if they are caught again they will lose their plot. This is to ensure that if one hadn’t been down for a while for some reason (we have quite a number of older folks who feasibly could have a heath problem for a few months) they don’t come back to find their plot decimated.

I’ve never heard of anyone being charged for trees. We just took on a further half plot from a ‘downsizer’ with two dwarf cherry trees on it. I did ask him if he wanted help to move them to his other plot as he dug up some raspberries strawberries, moved his shed (all of which we either knew and expected he would do). Answer was no he didn’t want them so they became ours, no suggestion of money and personally I’d have asked him to dig them up and dispose of them if it was a matter of ‘you have to pay for them’ as they aren’t really where I would want them but for free I can live with that for a bit and see what they do.

[jonny the plant pot]

When you leave our site you have 4 weeks to remove or sell anything after that it's the property of the new plot holder.