Too much to bear for one landlord

By: Colin Campbell

Without tenant referencing if you go down to your property today are you sure of a big surprise? One landlord in Ohio got much more than he bargained for, leading to an eviction notice for his tenants amongst whom was a man killing bear.

In August this year, Lorain County property issued an eviction notice to Sam Mazzola the owner of ‘Wildlife adventures of Ohio’. Mazzola had failed to provide proof of adequate liability insurance to his landlord when it was requested. The story then took a tragic turn when Brent Kandra, an employee of the exotic animal farm for over 6 years, was mauled to death by a Black Bear that resided there.

The death of the employee was the final straw for the landlord who requested Lorain County property to issue a ‘Notice to Leave the Premises-Ohio Revised Code Section 5321’ which was served to Mazzola a week later.

The order stated that Mazzola was being evicted on the grounds of “non payment of rent and failure to maintain liability insurance as required while maintaining a dangerous and life threatening nuisance upon the premises.” The death of Brent Kendra has also prompted moves to ban private ownership of dangerous animals. A plan to improve the treatment of farm animals and wild animals in captivity is currently going through process.

Its unclear how many wild animal sanctuaries, if any, are currently part of the private rental sector in the UK? If you know of any please get in touch. I suspect the only bears in Britain’s rented accommodation go by the name of Paddington or Pooh. But this story, however extraordinary it may be, shows that whether you rent out rooms or zoos for that matter, landlords need to make sure they are protected against the pitfalls of the private rental sector.

Getting the best advice before entering the private rental sector from professionals who know the industry is essential. Tenant referencing provides landlords with the information that can prevent their property falling into the hands of unreliable tenants or at worst criminals. Legal 4 Landlords provide a tenant referencing service that can:

• conduct a credit reference enquiry

• verify your tenant is employed

• obtain a reference from the employer

• track down the last landlord or two

And if, like in the case in Ohio, the relationship between landlord and tenant deteriorates to the point of eviction Legal 4 Landlords provides all the legal and professional support required.

If you have any tales, cautionary or amusing, from the world of property rental please get in touch and we’ll pass them on.