Tenant Flat Fire - Next stage - how to sell?

[Deleted User]

Thanks again.

I am getting the council tax guy along on Friday - to get the exemption in place.

I feel i should also call housing benefit. I don't want them to overpay me, nor do I want them to hold me accountable for my tenant having someone else living at the property. So I need to make it clear that this was not allowed in her STA, and that I only discovered it last week.

Thanks again.

[Deleted User]

Thanks clutton

[Deleted User]

Thanks Franklee

I will take insurer's legal advice.

So far I've done everything by the book with either legal or police guidance.

This is complicated by the fire and police criminal prosecution.

I'm normally level headed but I've had to deal with some of this whilst in shock.

I appreciate advice.

This is a great sharing of expertise.

Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to help me.

PasturesNew

Take meter readings too.

Re dehumidifiers - you can add the cost of running these into your insurance claim, so don't skimp.

I feel sorry for the tenant upstairs. Wrecked Xmas... and if it were me I don't think I could ever live up there again. I have a total fear of fire. I'd be waking up most nights imagining I could smell it. Pacing up/down... popping down the stairs to sniff at your door.

Good luck. This must be a much worse scenario than you could ever have imagined could ever happen when you decided to rent it out.

paintpot

Good luck and let us know how it goes. I for one are thinking of you and the neighbours - it seems you are trying to fix it quickly, just take care along the way and use your legal advisors to the max to ensure you have all your bases covered. Glad you've found the forum of help to you in your time of need.

franklee

clutton wrote: »

With regard to storing burnt and unusable stuff - lets be sensible folks - no one - even this nutty woman - will ever want this stuff - get rid of it would be my actions.

I suspect they won't actually want the burnt goods back but would want time to check the goods are really past saving. If the goods are destroyed before this is done then there is the risk of a claim against cgw for compensation with a dispute about how far gone the goods actually were. So it's really a case of finding out how long is reasonable to allow for collection by the tenant allowing for what's happened to her. She may also be a victim of daughter (a)'s fire rather than a collaborator we do not know, so she may have given dealing with daughter (a) and the police higher priority than collecting her goods.

clutton wrote: »

A woman this unhinged is not going to take you to court for return of her burnt possesions, and this is her only venue to get her burnt stuff back.

I thought mum was the tenant and if she's unhinged I missed it. I thought daughter (a) is the suspected pyromaniac with severe mental health problems and daughter (b) is the aggressive shout down the phone one who knows about letting law.

clutton wrote: »

take charge - get rid of her stuff, change the locks, get your life, house and brain back together and let her take you to court if she dare - she wont - of course she wont - She is ill, and she is not your responsibility.

Mum and daughter (b) certainly sound like the types to sue to me.

clutton wrote: »

She could have killed your neighbours - why are you putting her interests first - i think this is one case where a landlady should just go ahead and stuff the technical legalities of "what if" and "maybes" and abiding by the letter or the law "

We do not know that the tenant sanctioned the fire. Daughter (a) could have done it acting alone, if indeed it's proved it was deliberate.

Even if the tenant sued and lost cgw could do with out the time and stress of any claim. This is why I would advice caution, it's nothing to do with "putting the tenant's interests first".

[Deleted User]

I thought mum was the tenant and if she's unhinged I missed it. I thought daughter (a) is the suspected pyromaniac with severe mental health problems and daughter (b) is the aggressive shout down the phone one who knows about letting law.

Absolutely right - Mum is the only tenant. She had daughter a living there without my permission. Also the police told me that daughter a had a duplicate key as did daughter b. However, the mother knew of the daughter's problems and her court appearances for property damage and physical attacks.

[Deleted User]

I suspect they won't actually want the burnt goods back but would want time to check the goods are really past saving. If the goods are destroyed before this is done then there is the risk of a claim against cgw for compensation with a dispute about how far gone the goods actually were. So it's really a case of finding out how long is reasonable to allow for collection by the tenant allowing for what's happened to her. She may also be a victim of daughter (a)'s fire rather than a collaborator we do not know, so she may have given dealing with daughter (a) and the police higher priority than collecting her goods.


Some advice tells me 90 days is the reasonable time, but I will check that with insurer's advice.

She may also be a victim of the daughter a. But I have heard nothing from her - except daughter b screaming outside the proerty on Tuesday, She was accusing me of starting the fire!

As far as I can tell from the freeholder(whose flat above was also damaged) everything inside is black, but there are some ornaments.

I could store the non fabric items in the bathroom, whilst work goes on to restore services.

But I would rather the goods were elsewhere as I am afraid of the people. Daughter b is particularly aggressive and police advised not to meet them on my own.

Thanks Franklee

[Deleted User]

We do not know that the tenant sanctioned the fire. Daughter (a) could have done it acting alone, if indeed it's proved it was deliberate.

Even if the tenant sued and lost cgw could do with out the time and stress of any claim. This is why I would advice caution, it's nothing to do with "putting the tenant's interests first".

I understand, Franklee, I have been liaiasing with the social worker for the elderly frail man who is the leaseholder on the top floor. He is currently nearby in bed and breakfast. He is anxious and wants to go home. He has no relatives and guess he would want to back home by Xmas.

clutton_2

these folks will not sue you ......... just take photos of the burnt stuff and move on ...... they have much more to worry about by way of homelessness and possible arson charges than to be making time to sue you.

my personal view is that this tenancy is now frustrated and at an end - - if the police do not charge them with arson, then, i would be viewing it as force majeure for which landlords are definitley not responsible. !!!

i think you have no further obligation to these people and that nitpicking over whether something is half-burnt, three quarter burnt or fully burnt is something you can really well do without.

if they had wanted their stuff back - why did they not take it when they had the chance - that would be my arguement ... i think it is perfectly unreasonable to expect anyone to store sodden half-burnt stuff at all, let alone for 3 months !!!!

have you asked your insurers ? take their advice ....

re frail old man - i doubt very much if he will be home by christmas - the remnants of smoke takes a long time to dissipate - poor old chap - i am sure Help the Aged locally will want to help him they are less pressurised then social services.

bw