Shocked at the way my tenant is living!

haggis38

Hi some help would be much appreciated. I am unsure if the renting rules are different in Scotland than England.

I have just carried out my tenants house inspection, this was a pre arranged inspection. I am shocked to say the least at the way in which my tenant lives, and I am aware that I cannot tell anyone how to live, however, the house was so untidy and filthy that it proved impossible to carry out the inspection fully. I am worried that her deposit will not cover the cost of repairing when she eventually leaves.

The tenant refuses to air the house, by this i mean opening air vents and windows. This has resulted in damp caused by the condensation build up. The carpets were so badly soiled that I asked the tenant to get them shampooed (she has been in property for 2 years).

I was then informed that the grill in the cooker wasn't working, and that it had been like this since Christmas. On checking the grill it was so filthy and the tray looked like it was breading something neither wonder its not working. This is a gas cooker so I will have to get someone out, however, I don't really want to pay for someone to clean it, before they can even check why its not working. Do I have the right to tell her to get it back to way she was given it before I get someone out.

Walls are filthy, wallpaper picked off, kitchen taps broken which she claims is wear and tear, one wall actually has a hole in it.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated as how to take this forward.

poppysarah

Did you record all the issues from this inspection? (If you didn't then you need to go and do a thorough repair inspection and photograph everything that's she's damaged)

Re: mould - get some auto-vents in that heat exchange in each room.

repairs. Charge the tenant for "non wear and tear" - and get it repaired.

Seek legal advice about ending the tenancy.

Thrugelmir

This the side of letting which gets overlooked. In the excitement of property rental as a business.

As poppysarah says, seek advice and serve notice on the tenant.

As obviously you will lose rental income whilst mainteance is carried out to the property prior to letting again.

clutton_2

Serve her a notice to quit as soon as you possibly can

i am having a cooker repaired this week and the firm would not come out to fix it until it was cleaned...

Jowo_2

Is this your first inspection in 2 years or did it suddenly degrade from earlier inspections?

Did you explain to the tenant upfront about her responsibility to adequately heat and ventilate the property in order to prevent damp and mould? Contracts generally make clear this requirement but this doesn't mean that the tenant actually understands a) what happens if they don't b) that if it is caused by tenant behaviour, they are responsible for any costs associated with its repair.

Do you have a thorough signed inventory in place?

poppysarah

For improving ventilation without relying on people opening windows try http://www.vent-axia.com/range/hr30w.html