Imagine moving into a house where there were a few things left behind by the previous owner. If they left a few things behind, would you be willing to let them come pick their items up later, or would you consider it yours now?

In this story, the previous home owners leave behind a water fountain. Four years later, they want it back, but the new homeowners want to keep it.

Let’s read all the details.

WIBTA if I refused to give up a water fountain the previous homeowners abandoned 4 years ago?

In September 2021, we purchased a home that was built in 2019 & we moved in immediately.

The previous owners (PO) left a few things at the home, including a water fountain. Within the first month, the PO asked if they could collect the fountain, we said that was fine, but they never came.

It’s now March/April of 2025, 4 years later, and has been sitting in the front yard.

She wants to redo the garden.

Over the last 2 years I have been organizing, prepping, and designing my front garden where it will be incorporated into my design.

I am an avid gardener and decided to redo the garden, but haven’t yet planted any thing. It’s has taken me a while to actually get started for multiple reasons.

The first year we were settling in. 2nd year I had to learn about the seasons (I’m from FL, we don’t have seasons) research native plants, best planting times, amongst other things.

The most important reason was because the house was built poorly and we had to repair an entire wall that was in the main section of the garden. There is no point for me to plant when we will be doing construction work. After we finished the exterior part of the wall, winter started.

The fountain was part of her garden plan.

The roof still needs repairs, but I have access to the area now.

I planned on power washing, repairing, and painting the water fountain this weekend, but I got covid and again delayed.

I dismantled the fountain and relocated it to various places to be worked on.

Now, the previous owner wants the fountain.

Suddenly, the PO messaged my husband stating he wants the water fountain back, it’s his 45th anniversary soon and it was his wife’s 35th anniversary present. Stating he’ll be by this weekend to get it.

I told my husband to inform the PO that I’m no longer willing to part with it.

PO, states it’s not mine to ‘part with’ and he’ll be by to pick it up.

It has been on our property for 4 years. It’s considered abandoned property after 30 days, we gave him the chance to pick it up, but they didn’t. We’re not a storage unit. What claim is it his to come get it? I understand it was an anniversary gift but clearly he didn’t care enough to get it in the last 4 years.

Their house really needed a LOT of work.

This house was brand new, but terribly built by the PO.

Everything that could be wrong is wrong. Roof is missing edge pieces, subfloor is uneven causing the entire floor to be uneven with gaps in all the wood, the ENTIRE house needs new siding because they installed the Hardy Board incorrectly and now falling off, 4 different colors & textures of caulk used in the backsplash of kitchen, screws popping out of every single wall in the house, studs aren’t 16” on center.

The list goes on and on.

We literally have to rebuild the house from bottom up.

It sounds like they didn’t hire a very good inspector.

Before you ask, yes we had an inspector but no he didn’t catch these things.

We’re also trapped in the house because we bought during the VID times and the interest rates were very low. So, moving isn’t an option.

Trust me, we would if we could.

So, AITA for not giving up the water fountain 4 years after he sold us a terribly built home?

After all that hassle, if I had grown attached to the fountain, I’d want to keep it too.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person would check the law.

Another person thinks the law is obvious.

This is a good suggestion.

Here’s a vote for lying.

Another person points blame at the inspector.

You can’t abandon something for four years and expect to get it back.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.