The BBC has reported on a particularly shocking case of a rogue tenant wreaking havoc on a landlord’s family.

Victoria Mountain, who eventually took possession of her Surrey home after allegedly not receiving rent for 10 months, was driven to drastic measures because of the tenant.

Mountain says the tenant received over a year’s notice that she and her two daughters wanted to move back into the house in Guildford.

But when the time came the tenant would not leave. 

Guildford council could not allocate Mountain emergency housing as she was already a home owner so she stayed with friends and family for six months, before spending some months in a camper van.

Mountain tells the BBC that bailiffs helped her recover the property this month, but she has lost £20,000 in the process. 

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) tells the BBC that the Renters Right Act ensured landlords had “robust grounds for possession if there is good reason to take it back, including a tenant damaging the property or falling into rent arrears”.

Mountain concludes by saying: “I do believe there has to be protection for tenants, but I also think there has to be protection for the landlords.

“There are some very good-hearted landlords out there who are looking after their tenants and doing exactly what they need to be doing, making sure the house is livable”.

You can read the BBC story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czezy8nel86o