A private landlord in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire was left horrified after nightmare tenants left his property in a shocking state.

The tenants, who owe £3,000 in rent, vacated the property unannounced just before Christmas, leaving the property in a dire state, including broken windows, rubbish everywhere, as well as dirty cat litter trays in the shower.

The tenants, who occupied Harris Boulevard property in the seaside town of Mablethorpe, were given a court deadline of December 17 to move out of the property.

The landlord, Aavi Lillepa, told the press: “I’ve been a landlord for many years now – 10 to 15 at least.

“I’ve always been a good landlord. I have a few properties in my portfolio and I’ve never let anyone down.

“When they first moved into the property, it was understood it would be occupied by one parent, a mother, and a child.

“She was very thankful when I handed over the keys.”

But as time went on, the landlord claims that things took a turn for the worse, with as many as five children, two other adults and several pets occupying the property, which was in breach of the tenancy agreement.

Lillepa also claims that he was a ‘soft touch’ when it came to the tenant’s rent arrears, giving her time to catch up.

He added: “I can’t even put into words the filth and mess I found on entering the property.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“It was the first time I’d been physically able to access the property in months.

“The floor was so littered deeply with rubbish and other items that I had to physically clear a walkway to access through the house.

“I found four dirty cat litter trays in the shower.

“I’ve been quoted £2,500 just to clear the property.

“The most unbelievable thing about the whole situation is that until recently this property was inhabited in this state.

Lillepa told the Louth Leader that he does not feel there are sufficient services in place to support landlords like him.

He commented: “All you seem to hear is that tenants have rights but there must be a cry for help from landlords that isn’t being answered.

“My children’s inheritance is now being spent on fixing this mess. It’s just not on.”