x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.

TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Nightmare tenants leave landlord thousands of pounds out of pocket

A buy-to-let landlord has been left with a major clean-up bill after ‘tenants from hell’ whose rent had fallen into severe arrears trashed his rented home in Walton, Liverpool, leaving it in a revolting state.

Multiple bin bags, pillows, books, magazines and clothes were left in a mess all over the property, while there was rubbish littered on the floor in almost every room by the tenants who had the cheek to illegally change the locks without consent preventing the landlord, Andrew Cavanagh, gaining access to the property.

Aside from the disgusting mess and damage caused, the tenants also left the landlord more than £4,000 out of pocket after not paying any rent for six months.

Advertisement

Cavanagh only acquired the property in November last year, with a family already occupying the house. He allowed them to continue to living there, but after receiving the first month’s rent, he did not receive another penny from them and had to eventually obtain a court order to have them evicted.

The 39-year-old landlord, who owns a number of rental properties in and around Liverpool, told the press: “Even after the court order was made it took them four days to leave - having seen the mess they left it is hard to know what they were packing up in that time.

“I have never had a property left in that kind of state. There were doors hanging off their hinges, the electricity supply had been bypassed and the whole place needs fumigating - we think it will take about £3,000 to sort out.”

And that comes in addition to the £4,300 that the court decided is still owed in rent.

Cavanagh is now calling on Liverpool City Council to do more to support landlords.

He added: “I think we as landlords need a dialogue with the council - it isn't all one sided and I think the majority of landlords in the city are responsible.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

  • Patrick Sullivan

    Sadly this is common. Councils
    Are now telling tenants in coventry DO NOT MOVE OUT. Until a bailiff evicts you otherwise your intentionly homeless

    Michelle Amato

    Unless they owe 2 months rent. If a tenant on housing benefit is evicted for rent arrears under S8 then the Councils won't assist them as they've made themselves intentionally homeless by not paying the rent. They will still advise "wait for bailiff" though 😡

     
  • icon

    I have an ongoing problem with a tenant failing to pay the rent.
    I am issuing them with a notice today, so I hope I don't experience the problems highlighted above?

    Michelle Amato

    Contact the Zhousing Benefit department immediately and let them know. They will stop housing benefit payments to the tenant and pay you direct. Might take a few weeks though to kick in. If you're not getting the rent then make sure they are not getting the benefit!!!!

     
  • James B

    Pity more reports like this are not published to give a more balanced view of PRS, instead of the one sided landlord bashing

  • icon

    I think most of us expedience these sort of problems at times which is why we need to be very careful who we let into our properties, a tenant black list would be useful, avoid benefit claimants and don't wait to evict non payers nip it in the bud.

  • icon

    Surely this is contempt of court? If the court orders it and the tenant ignores it that must be contempt. Also the council advising tenant should also be held accountable for contempt when telling a tenant to remain in the property. It appears the council has more authority than the court

  • icon

    Patrick Sullivan write to Coventry council . Tell them Councils should not tell tenants to ignore notices to quit until bailiffs arrive.
    This is a direct contravention to the homelessness guidance for Local Authorities (March 2016) where a tenant has received a valid section 21 notice.
    A Bill to solve this repossession problem amending Section 175 of the Housing Act 1996 is urgently needed.
    It should force local authorities to accept a valid Section 21 notice as evidence that an applicant is threatened with homelessness.
    Councils must step in almost as soon as a NTQ is given so the tenant is sufficiently supported. This will save landlords from a costly, lengthy and wholly unnecessary dragged out court process.

    icon

    May not have the desired effect as this is "guidance" for councils and may not be set down in law. I have not checked this out but no doubt you have RD.

     
    icon

    Rosemarie, sorry but the councils will not listern and do not care, and their governoring body does not care. All the time the private commercial sector provide accommodation they will milk us dry. Like others I am selling up and leaving the council's to provide housing, it won't happen over night but it will happen and councils nationwide will have to start a program of housing as they did in the 50s,70s and 70s, once tbey get the knowledge and man power. At the moment the government and councils Muppets do not have a clue how to manage a portfolio of rented properties.

     
    icon

    You are talking common sense and stating the blindingly obvious. That just will not do at all! This is elitist, some sort of 'ism and politically incorrect. Your views are socially unacceptable.
    I have just been badly conned. The letting agent put in a dishonest tenant who knew all the legal procedures off pat and did not pay any rent once installed. The agent then used the deposit to pay their own fees. Must stop. Blood pressure.

     
  • icon

    I think we are heading for twenty years of letting hell until society accepts that some people are not a reasonable choice of tenant and deals with that . I am having to do that now. I am selling my portfolio to make sure that I have no more expensive problems. I am retiring as well so my enthusiasm for putting up with other peoples filth is waning rapidly.

  • icon

    Feral scum is protected as the minority is treated as the majority and all one-way traffic.

  • icon

    What's happened here is common practice with the scum of society And the council's will tell tenants not to leave until eviction notice issued. Fact.
    Landlords can take months after eviction as a return to court to get a balif out. In mean time more rent is not paid. Contempt of court!! Joke these low lifes dont cate about that. Fact.

  • icon

    Next story is about a rogue landlord being fined £15k - probably quite justifiably- but why are rogue tenants not fined for malicious damage? Why is continuing to live in a property with no intention of paying the rent not fraud or theft? Incidentally the charity shelter and student representative bodies also recommend staying put until the bailiffs come. The bailiffs should have the right to arrest those who have failed to comply with court orders and charge their fees to them and not the landlord victims.

  • Michelle Amato

    Of course the Councils tell tenants to remain in the property to Bailiff appointment. This is nothing new. It's been going on for years. Just think about it for a moment ..... Whilst they are in your property costing you thousands, they are no liability to the Councils who have an extreme shortage of housing! I'm not saying it's right; just telling you how it is 😢 I've attended and dealt with hundreds of evictions and I have never seen a property returned clean and in good order. Malicious damage is par for the course I'm sad to say

  • icon

    If it were made a criminal offence and offenders properly prosecuted then it might deter some of them and at least the landlord would have the satisfaction of knowing that they hadn't got off scot free as currently happens.

    icon

    That is no good. The more useless you are the higher priority you enjoy so why try to be a good tenant?

     
  • icon

    I agree with the comments of Robert Brown. The Rogue tenants be automatically punished like the rogue tenants and the landlord compensated. I made sure from the beginning of the tenancy that the HB be paid direct to me and luckily it has worked for the last two years - full term of the contract.

  • icon

    OK i'll add to this. I put my block of 10 flats up for sale. I have one DSS tenant. I ask the council if they would buy the property and they said yes but want a preferred recommended housing association they deal with to buy it. We struck a deal. All 10 S21 notices sent. 9 professional tenants leave except guess who! the DSS guy because he was advised to stay put and wait it out. Don't forget its the council that want the building to put social benefits in there and reduce the housing list but the homeless department are telling him to stay and not make himself homeless? Ironic or what!. So now I have a block of 10 flats with 1 tenant who won't leave until it goes through to court. Apparently could take about 17 weeks. My mortgage is £4k per month. My insurance is £150 per month. They are even charging me council tax on 9 empty flats!!!! I need to get some kind of security in there and i've lost my income so all in all I am ready to go bankrupt as I can't fund this. So the Council do NOT want to get people off the streets. Whats the point of a 2 month notice when they tell them to stay and wait it out. This is so morally wrong its even hard to think that a British institution can do this? Landlords are selling big time. I read that by the end of this year 200k properties will go on the market leaving less for rental. The Government are going into self destruct. Its the private Landlords they need to help sort the housing crisis out so why beat the crap out of us?

  • icon

    Totally agree 100%. The council's are run by stupid idiotic idiots. They are complete Muppets and do not have a clue about how to provide housing and was is required to operate efficient business like that of an owner of a housing portfolio of rented out properties. Managers are absolutely clueless.
    They will want you to go into bankruptcy so the call "steal" your properties. How is it legal for a person or company or organisation to charge for not providing a service? Why be charged CT for no service no emptying of bins, no schooling of residents as there are not any. No policing of property as there is no one to police. Can a council Muppet or even one with some knowledge reply, if they can read more than one sentence that is.

    icon

    I wouldn't mind paying something for my invisible tenants but to charge me the whole pack on 10 flats is basically mind blowing!

     
  • icon

    Empty house council tax extortion is theft by bankrupt inefficient councils tony soprano rip would have been proud of this scam

  • icon

    I have spoken with a solicitor as my tenants have completely ignored the S21 notice.
    I asked him what I can do if they ignore a S8 notice which I am going to be able to serve on them at the end of the month.
    He suggested that they may claim that I have not done something I should have done or that the property was let in a bad state and that could involve further months of court action even if it were not true.
    It beggars belief what a tenant can do to delay the inevitable, whilst the costs are mounting up for the landlord the longer it is allowed to go on.
    In all my 20 plus years of letting, it has never had to come to this and unfortunately the law seems to be always on the side of the wrongdoer?

  • icon

    Blame the government introduced Deposit schemes and the fact that the council's will not support you.
    Sell up get out and put your hard earned money in to buying run down properties and sell them to the council because they will need many many properties as more and more landlords get out of this cash cow for the government and councils.

  • icon

    In the 3 months since my last Inspection the tenant has managed to ignore a leak from about which has caused mould and damp to 2 rooms.
    Mould spots to bedroom and hall due to no ventilation. Flea infestation. And left owing a months rent and burnt and stained carpets ripped vinal and filthy throughout. Will take a month to sort out, and guess what even though property will be empty uninhabitable the council still demand to steal from me Council Tax and not provide a service. What other business could get away with this? NONE.

icon

Please login to comment

MovePal MovePal MovePal
sign up