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Problem tenants, police raids and abandonned vehicles!!!
icebergx
Posts: 688 Forumite
Hi all,
Wanted some advice dealing with a problem tenants who've left my property in a bit of a state.
The couple moved in to the place in Brighton last July (I live in London) and, for the first few months were ideal tenants. At the start of Jan I noticed that they'd missed a rental payment due at the end of Dec. I'd lost the tenants' number but asked a friend to drop a card in requesting a call back... Nothing. I then wrote a formal letter but still no reply.
Finally I decided to visit the property and, on knocking, the female tenant let me in. She told me that her and her partner were splitting up and that she'd been away for a few weeks.
I agreed to let them stay on and the lady agreed to get me some money by the start of Feb and that their deposit would cover cover the rest. I agreed as I sympathised with their situation and didn't want them to cause any trouble in the house while they were there.
In the end, the house was vacated in early Feb without them paying me any money.
This is where the plot thickens...
I knocked on the neighbours' door and they told me that there had been a police raid on the house in late Nov and that the Male tenant hadn't been seen since. She'd been stringing me along ever since!!!
I'm pretty sure that the guy has been locked up as his Motorbike and van are still parked outside the house and haven't moved for, at least, the last 6-8 weeks.
I know she is still living in the area and I can probably track her down.
1) Is there anything I can do to chase her for the money owed and the damage caused to the property?
2) Is there any way I can chase the guy for the money or force the sale of one of the vehicles to get the money?
Hope any of you MSEs can help!!!
Wanted some advice dealing with a problem tenants who've left my property in a bit of a state.
The couple moved in to the place in Brighton last July (I live in London) and, for the first few months were ideal tenants. At the start of Jan I noticed that they'd missed a rental payment due at the end of Dec. I'd lost the tenants' number but asked a friend to drop a card in requesting a call back... Nothing. I then wrote a formal letter but still no reply.
Finally I decided to visit the property and, on knocking, the female tenant let me in. She told me that her and her partner were splitting up and that she'd been away for a few weeks.
I agreed to let them stay on and the lady agreed to get me some money by the start of Feb and that their deposit would cover cover the rest. I agreed as I sympathised with their situation and didn't want them to cause any trouble in the house while they were there.
In the end, the house was vacated in early Feb without them paying me any money.
This is where the plot thickens...
I knocked on the neighbours' door and they told me that there had been a police raid on the house in late Nov and that the Male tenant hadn't been seen since. She'd been stringing me along ever since!!!
I'm pretty sure that the guy has been locked up as his Motorbike and van are still parked outside the house and haven't moved for, at least, the last 6-8 weeks.
I know she is still living in the area and I can probably track her down.
1) Is there anything I can do to chase her for the money owed and the damage caused to the property?
2) Is there any way I can chase the guy for the money or force the sale of one of the vehicles to get the money?
Hope any of you MSEs can help!!!
0
Comments
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I'm no expert but if she owes you money and won't pay, you have the right to pursue her through court. It can all be done easily and cheaply online. If the court orders her to pay and she does not, then court can order bailiffs to seize property. Whether or not they'd take one of the vehicles depends on who owns them. If the court order is against her, but the vehicle is owned by him, then bailiffs can't touch it.
IMO this is all theoretical, because I fully expect that once you track her down and start chasing her for money, she will do a runner again.My Debt Free Diary I owe:
July 16 £19700 Nov 16 £18002
Aug 16 £19519 Dec 16 £17708
Sep 16 £18780 Jan 17 £17082
Oct 16 £178730 -
I am no legal expert but are you sure the guy in prison is even not entitled to go straight back in your property!Not Again0
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Both the girl and the guy are on the tenancy agreement so, I guess, even if he's in prison (or not) I should still be able to chase him for the money.
In total, after taking into account the deposit which I now have, I'm owed about £950 rent + (potentially) a notice period + the cost of damage to the property and removal of rubbish (£300-400).
I don't care too much about getting money for the lack of the notice period but it's just annoying that I helped her so much, and she seemed very respectable, and it all ended like this!!!0 -
I know a couple of private landlords in Liverpool who have a less civilized but very successful method of dealing with bad tenants. But I really couldn't recommend it on a public forum
:D My Debt Free Diary I owe:
July 16 £19700 Nov 16 £18002
Aug 16 £19519 Dec 16 £17708
Sep 16 £18780 Jan 17 £17082
Oct 16 £178730 -
Have you formally ended the tenancy - sent notices etc. through solicitor?? And has the notice period ended??
If not then any tenant on the original tenancy agreement still has a right to the property. IIRC perhaps even has a right to force entry. (I'm also a LL)
Local courts would almost certainly take a very dim view if you illegally end the tenancy, regardless of the punter being banged up for some heinous crime.
In your shoes I would URGENTLY speak to my solicitor/Landlord's association (you are a member aren't you...) and (quietly) with the Police to see if they know where he is/who his solicitor is "so you can forward his mail"...Wisdom is the daughter of experience0 -
A side note, The lady did post two sets of keys through the letter box of my Lettings Agent the night after she left. The property was also practicly emply (she'd left some binbags full of junk in the garage buy that's about it.
Do you think this constitutes her giving notice of vacating the property.0 -
Agree that you need to protect yourself to ensure that the guy doesn't reappear demanding room at the inn!0
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MyLastFiver wrote: »I know a couple of private landlords in Liverpool who have a less civilized but very successful method of dealing with bad tenants. But I really couldn't recommend it on a public forum:D
Lets hear it for the cowboy landlords... not!0
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