New survey shows areas of UK with the most junk left behind in rented properties

25 February 2024 , 14:22

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The North East renters were the worst offenders in leaving mess when they moved out (Image: Getty Images)

New data shows Brits from the North East are far from the best when it comes to cleaning up after they vacate a property.

The new survey suggests Geordies left the most mess when they moved out, with landlords finding old sofas, broken beds and clothes among the junk left behind by those who had departed. People in Newcastle and the remainder of the North East were the worst according to a survey by an Direct Line Business Insurance - with 86% abandoning clutter in their old homes.

The second worst offender on 78% was the North West followed closely by Brummies in the West Midlands on 77%. But there were some areas where tidying up after they had left was high on the agenda.

The area with the tidiest region was the East of England which takes in those living in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. In these areas, only 49% tenants who vacated their rented properties left mess behind.

Sharon Ford, 45, of Newcastle, described her husband as Ian as “Mr Messy”. She said: “Whichever room he’s in, he’ll leave it in a state. There’s towels and pants on the floor in the bathroom, magazines, books in the bedroom and dirty plates in the living room. Don’t get me started on the kitchen or the garden, they’re even worse when he’s been there.”

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Many rents properties were left filled with old clothes, broken furniture and general mess (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Direct Line Business Insurance, which commissioned the poll, the most belongings were left by those in the North East. A spokesman said: “Tenants in the North East were the worst at leaving behind belongings."

The Mirror reported in 2018 how photos showed the horrific state were also strewn with rubbish, walls with huge cracks, and bathrooms left in stomach-churning conditions. vThey were dubbed the "worst messes left by tenants". Frustrated landlords told how they had become fed up with dealing with unpleasant horrors left by some tenants.

And one even admitted a bath had been left full of faeces in a particularly filthy property. Melissa Vickery, who rented out a three-bedroom property in Reading, Berkshire, was sickened to find the house "completely and utterly destroyed"

The chartered accountant, 37, said: "The house was completely and utterly destroyed. I was really stunned by what I saw. Rooms were full of rubbish. The washing machine was broken, the fridge was broken. Everything was butchered."

Areas with the messiest Brits

• 1. North East 86%
• 2. North West 78%
• 3. West Midlands 77%
• 4. East Midlands 67%
• 5. Yorkshire & Humber 67%
• 6. Scotland 64%
• 7. South East 64%
• 8. Wales 62%
• 9. South West 58%
• 10. East of England 49%

Graeme Murray