Watch out for the unexpected when you move into a rented flat: according to a new survey by The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS), furniture, cats and even sex toys are among the most common items left behind by departing tenants.

The research revealed the bizarre bric-a-brac that people leave behind, only to be discovered by amazed landlords as they clean up. In fact, it found that more newly vacant homes contained titillating toys than bags of rubbish – the more traditional remnants of rented properties.

“More than 1,000 landlords across the UK were keen to talk to us about the items that their tenants had left behind, which certainly reinforces the message of selecting the right renters from the very start of the lease,” said Kevin Firth, client services director at The DPS - the Government approved scheme set up to protect tenants’ deposits.

“Cleaning up after tenants who have made a hasty exit is an unfortunate part of the landlord’s lot.”

Unsuspecting owners have entered newly-vacated properties to find ‘marital aids’ of all shapes and sizes, pornographic movies, cats (dead and alive), cannabis plants and dead human bodies.

As well as the more sexy sundries, The DPS research exposed some other bizarre objects: pairs of false teeth, illegal immigrants, Nazi memorabilia, bed bugs, a pair of fake breasts, bomb making equipment with a large quantity of fertilizer, a wallet with £100 - ‘to help pay the bills we’ve left’ - and a milk bottle filled with blood, just to name a few.

“The most extraordinary response we had was from a landlord who found a false eye. The landlord threw it away thinking it was a joke, only to have the tenant phone asking if it had been found,” explained Mr Firth.

“Three landlords even told us they found a dead body on their properties, while another found an urn containing ashes and then received a call from the tenant ‘asking for her husband back’.”

Apart from numerous sex toys, other raunchy items found by landlords included pornographic videos, blow-up dolls, condoms, ladies underwear, a ‘knicker tree’ of female conquests and handcuffs chained to a wall.

“It makes you wonder if Britons are just incredibly forgetful, or whether they are really exhibitionists who want all this stuff to be found?”

The DPS also noted a trend in the number of animals left by tenants once they’ve moved on.

“Animals both dead and alive were commonly abandoned by outgoing tenants: cats, rats, hedgehogs, rabbits, turtles and goldfish were regularly mentioned. One landlord even told us they received a ‘welcoming present’ from their outgoing tenants – a kipper in an airing cupboard,” Mr Firth said.

“We encourage tenants to vacate and leave the premises in the same condition in which they found it, to ensure there is no issue in securing the return of their deposit.”

“However, just as there are rogue tenants there are also rogue landlords and The DPS helps protect against both through its fast, free and secure deposit protection service.”

“We are ideally positioned to help both parties to the rental agreement to ensure that if the property is not left as found, an amicable result is more achievable either through mediation or use of our free dispute resolution service.”

Top 10 most common leave-behinds:

1. Sex toys

2. Rubbish

3. Rotting food - cooked and raw

4. Furniture / Domestic appliances

5. Cats

6. Condoms

7. Cannabis plants

8. Dirty nappies

9. Dead animals

10. Pornographic videos