Tenant uncontactable

toni2014

I have a tenant who has always paid the rent on time.

The day the rent was due 21st the tenant text messaged me stating that he has returned back to his home country as his father is ill and that he'll return on 28th back to the UK which I was fine with.

Come the 28th, the tenant messaged me stating his father is still ill for a few days and explained in broken English some of which does not make sense to me that the house key is underneath the bin.

Alarm bells started ringing as he has left the key underneath the bin which I now have in my possession, I have no idea why he would place the key underneath the bin and for what purpose!

Tenant has left the lighting on in one of the rooms, blinds partially open and the upstairs bedroom window is open.

I've entered the property as his message said something about the rent, so I was hoping it'll be on the table or something but I couldn't find it other than letters on the door mat and on the table.

I haven't inspected the whole property as there were several trainers in the front room, so thinking he hasn't abandoned the property at this stage.

I've messaged him and attempted to call the tenant to find out more details and what's going on with no success, the phone is off!

What should I do? How long should I wait for? Should I inspect the whole house? Should I change the locks?

Would appreciate your thoughts 

Herzlos

Is he still paying the rent? If so, I'd assume he's given you a key to keep an eye on the place for him.

His father is ill enough for him to travel home at short notice, so he's probably a bit distracted.

Bookworm105

yes one month's rent is now overdue, but you have no grounds for locking your tenant out purely on that basis

by all means close the window but you cannot change the locks as you have no legal grounds for repossessing the property. You will have to play a waiting game, of course further messages should be sent, but do not make them so frequent you could be accused of harassment   

father possibly taken a turn for the worse and tenant is focused on more important things than his UK rental !
Does the tenant have a UK job? Have they heard from him? Walking out on rent is one thing but disappearing from work without any warning is less likely, even for a non UK national.

toni2014

Herzlos said:

Is he still paying the rent? If so, I'd assume he's given you a key to keep an eye on the place for him.

His father is ill enough for him to travel home at short notice, so he's probably a bit distracted.

Rent is overdue which was due on 21st October which is the day he messaged me.

His text message makes no reference why left the key underneath the bin for me.

I've tried to call him phone is off and messaged him no response 

toni2014

Bookworm105 said:

yes one month's rent is now overdue, but you have no grounds for locking your tenant out purely on that basis

by all means close the window but you cannot change the locks as you have no legal grounds for repossessing the property. You will have to play a waiting game, of course further messages should be sent, but do not make them so frequent you could be accused of harassment   

father possibly taken a turn for the worse and tenant is focused on more important things than his UK rental !
Does the tenant have a UK job? Have they heard from him? Walking out on rent is one thing but disappearing from work without any warning is less likely, even for a non UK national.

He is the sole tenant, I have no idea why he left the key underneath the bin as he told me this via text.

 I've since checked, he has changed the lock as I had a spare key it didn't match which is why he may have left the key underneath the bin for me? But his text message is not clear.

Due to not responding to my text messages and the phone is off I've had no choice but to secure the property and change the lock but will return the key back to him if he returns within a reasonable time frame.

I do hope he returns soon, how long should I wait? What should I do with his belongings, I can't leave the house empty for a long period hoping he'll come back.

I've also inspected the house there's a few of his belongings and furnishings still present and one of the bedroom doors is locked.

His phone is off and not responding to my text messages.

Unfortunately I have no idea where he works.

horsewithnoname

Maybe his father has died and he’s got things on his mind other than you. Can you not show a bit of decency for a couple of months?

toni2014

horsewithnoname said:

Maybe his father has died and he’s got things on his mind other than you. Can you not show a bit of decency for a couple of months?

Yes I would but it isn't helping switching your phone off and not responding to my text messages. As soon as he sent the text message to me I immediately responded back to him, so I would have expected a response but didn't receive one which doesn't help.

Brie

As a landlord you should be aware of your obligations to your tenant and that you simply can't kick him out.  There are processes for that that seem inappropriate right now despite the rent being overdue.

I would suggest that you make the place secure, check that the heat isn't coming on full blast or taps dripping etc.  Windows shut.  Check there are no pets that need to be fed etc.  Tell him by message that you have the key and that he can have it when he returns.  Don't go into a rant about the rent being late just yet.  Hopefully his dad will recover sufficiently soon so that he comes back and gets everything sorted with you.

km1500

I suspect (and it's only my personal opinion) that he's not coming back

toni2014

Brie said:

As a landlord you should be aware of your obligations to your tenant and that you simply can't kick him out.  There are processes for that that seem inappropriate right now despite the rent being overdue.

I would suggest that you make the place secure, check that the heat isn't coming on full blast or taps dripping etc.  Windows shut.  Check there are no pets that need to be fed etc.  Tell him by message that you have the key and that he can have it when he returns.  Don't go into a rant about the rent being late just yet.  Hopefully his dad will recover sufficiently soon so that he comes back and gets everything sorted with you.

At this point I've been understanding with him given the circumstances he has with his father and I have made any demands for the rent.

I just don't understand why he left the key underneath the bin, from a security and safety point of view I find unacceptable 

He is not responding to my messages, I've checked over the house his furnishings are still present but one bedroom door is locked. The other bedroom I could only see some items of clothing but not much and not much items/food in the fridge or kitchen 

My intention is to give him the key back to the property, I'm hoping he communicates.

I've messaged him again stating the keys are in my possession and I await to hear from him soon.

toni2014

km1500 said:

I suspect (and it's only my personal opinion) that he's not coming back

I think so to, time will tell!