Evicting Tenant

Cakeguts

Tonyhague wrote: »

Hi.
We rent our property via sequence as agents.Basic facts:
Deposit taken at the beginning of the tenancy and secured as obliged.
Assured shorthold tenancy of 12 months which expired about 12 months ago and wasn't renewed as the tenant didn't fill the paperwork, we just let it slide.
Rent paid by council with tenant topup, which is all up to date.

In May the agent carried out the annual inventory and we discovered that there's been a long term water leak outside, which has come through the kitchen wall damaging the plaster and causing damp. Tenant neglected to mention it except to say to the agent that "mushrooms grow on the wall"

After several attempts to get a contractor in to do the work, 2 refused because of the tenant's attitude the third said that the kitchen would need to be removed to go down to brick and replaster, we realised that was going to be expensive so contacted out insurer.

Due to the kitchen needing to be removed we felt it best to serve Section 21 notice, get the tenant out and get the work done on an empty house, as it would be unlivable while it happened.

The Section 21 has expired, the tenant is still in and reading the forum here it seems my hope that the notice could be taken to the council to help them get rehoused was very naive of me, apparently the council will have advised them to await the bailiffs

I've contacted the Landlord Advice UK and spoken to someone there who estimates it'll be around £750 for them to serve and administer Section 8, are we best using a service like this or another better value one, or even doing it ourselves?

Anything we should do instead?

Thanks.

edit - probably not section 8 next, I'm stressed and should have written as we spoke.

What I am going to say about all of this is that you fell into the trap of thinking that any house will let to a good tenant. There are probably about once a week threads started on here by people who assume that because they bought a house to live in the house will let easily to a good hassle free tenant. You have just provided a good example of the fact that some houses do not let to good hassle free tenants.

The kind of tenant that you let to needs a professional landlord who has this type of tenant as their business model so that they aren't taken by surprise when the tenant changes the gas and electricity meters because they wouldn't need to because the landlord has supplied the property with prepayment meters.

If you want to become a landlord who doesn't want to risk tenants doing this kind of thing you have got to buy the kind of house or flat that fits your business model. As you have found out the wrong tenant can cause lots and lots of problems. Basically you didn't do enough research before you let the house to find out what sort of tenant you could expect to want to rent it.

FBaby

Cakeguts, this is the wisest post I've read in a long time, and indeed reflects exactly my own experience.

rtho782

Tonyhague wrote: »

Heating wasn't left on low because the tenant has changed the meters to token ones despite being contractually obliged not to and didn't leave the keys or cards so there was no power until we could arrange new ones a few days later, by which time it was too late.

This could well have been done by the supplier if the tenant did not pay their bills. The meters are not owned by the tenant or the landlord, but by the power company, and so your contract is not really relevant to the situation, it's a bit like me and you having a contract that my neighbour won't change his car.... not something that is in the control of either of us.