Tenant causes £13K worth of damage to property

The Lincolnshire Echo has reported a tenant that caused £13k worth of damage to a home in Lincoln has finally been evicted from the property she destroyed.

The landlady had a battle on her hands but an eviction notice secured in May put an end to five years of misery.

A smashed bath, smashed windows and a damaged back door are just a few of the things in need of repair.

Landlords like this can only put up with so much. In fact this landlord had been very understanding before deciding enough was enough.

It’s reported the landlady who took sweets round for her tenant’s young children said:

“Although we’d had issues with her in the past, I always felt sorry for her but we got fed up with what was happening.”

The matter here is how long do you leave it before you take action? My advice would be to act sooner rather than later.

The tenant in question often failed to pay her rent of just £10 a week. The rest was paid by housing benefit.

I see examples all the time, of landlords who are driven to despair by tenants who have failed to pay the rent agreed. Landlords should act as soon as rent falls into arrears. With this case, during the time the tenant was getting away with not paying rent, a great deal of damage was done to the property.

Whilst landlords should not tolerate tenants who refuse to pay rent, they should never take the law into their own hands. A process must be followed in every case including a notice given to terminate the tenancy and all paperwork must be in order. Speak to an expert who will deal with the whole process on your behalf. Sometimes a letter is all it takes.