Q. My wife and I live in a very pretty, modestly sized farmhouse. It comes with two barns to scale and since long before I met her, friends, and friends of friends, have been in the habit of asking my saintly wife to store things for them, while they get their lives and accommodation together. Now both barns are completely full and we cannot use them ourselves at all. The worst offender is taking up one whole barn. This dear woman, who was turned out of her previous house, perhaps for having 22 cats, had moved all her possessions into professional storage and was paying an iniquitous £125 a week. We told her she could pay us £50 a month but that she must pay, and the things must stay with us for no longer than six months. She did pay two months’ rent, but the grot has been here for two years. We want our space back. What do you suggest, Mary?
Name and address withheld
A. The kindest thing would be for you to force these people out of their lethargy. Announce that you have thought of a really good way of helping them all out. You are going to have a barn clearance sale which could raise some money for them — and yourselves, since you will take a 10 per cent commission. Why don’t they come along and decide which things they don’t mind selling and which they genuinely want to keep? Items in the latter category must be taken away within, say, four weeks to avoid being mistakenly included in the sale or sent on to a professional storage house which will charge them an iniquitous fee. Do not be sucked into explaining why you need your barns back.
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