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CdC  
#1 Posted : 15 December 2017 14:45:50(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
CdC

Can you please confirm your understanding, that as long as the chairs in question still have a fire label, they are fine to give away to charity or even sell 2nd hand? (Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988)

I have guys claiming that theri H&S bod in the past said they couldn't do it in case the chair breaks and they would sue the company.

But under Sales of Goods act the company wouldn't be a retailer or trader, but not a private person either. So is the standard that as long as the company assessed them as fit for purpose, even if the chair then fails, they wouldn't be liable?

After all, there are plenty of office furniture recycling companies out there who collect for free?

A Kurdziel  
#2 Posted : 15 December 2017 16:06:15(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

In law the assumption is that anything that you sell or pass on is fit for purpose. You cannot sell (or pass on) anything “as seen”, implying that it might have faults but you are not going to tell anybody what they are. If it does go wrong it is upto you to prove that it was ok when you sold it.  (Which is where lot of people get cold feet). On the other hand it is just furniture and unless it is really in a bad state about you will probably be safe passing it on.

mark frearson  
#3 Posted : 18 December 2017 16:41:33(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mark frearson

I think we may need to apply some common sense here. I would have thought the chances of anyone getting sued would be very slim, as long as you passed the furniture on in good faith and in good usable condition, with no known faults or other issues to the best of your knowledge. If you know its faulty, put it in the skip. 

thebiggreenie  
#4 Posted : 19 December 2017 11:05:49(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
thebiggreenie

There's a BBC daytime television programme where the host hangs around a rubbish tip, collects stuff that people are going to chuck into the skip (furniture and the like) and she "upcycles" it to sell on (and then give the profit back to the original donor).  Often the input is just limited to a coat of paint of a bit of sanding.

Whenever upholstered furnishings are shown, the narrator makes mention of it having the appropriate fire safety label attached, making it okay to sell on.  I don't think they've ever done x-ray analysis on furniture to determine it is structurally sound before selling it, so I don't think it's a concern.

As others have said - good faith and likelihood.

aiden  
#5 Posted : 03 January 2018 22:39:52(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
aiden

I think if you do not charge anything for it and give it away as "scrap" furniture you should be fine. 

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