Tenants From HELL!!

[OzMike]

If you read the thread mate you'd realise the rent doesnt even cover the mortgage and it's interest only (a different issue) we were a young couple who simply tried to get on the property ladder at the wrong time and got shafted..simple...

However why shouldnt i keep the rent or even part of the rent reluctantly if the wallpaper is pealing off the walls due to damp?? This issue never arose with the previous two tenants so how can it not be due to them?

Take your rose tinted specs off and realise some tenants do not give a shit about the property they are renting

Get out of this interest only mortgage as fast as you can and get into a repayment one, you may have to start from the beginning again but believe me this will cause a lot less pain in the future.

 

[moggy]

Can't be arsed to read the whole thread but I had a major problems with tenants from hell a few years back.
Ended up taking them to court to evict them which took some weeks.
If you give them notice or don't extend their contract (assuming its a 6 month short tenancy agreement) that doesn't necessarily mean they'll just get up and leave !
The law favours the tenant so you best be prepared for a long battle if it goes that way.
Have you got malicious damage insurance? Definitely well worth including that in your landlord insurance,
Also, I use a different 6 moths contract than the norm which favours the landlord more and can email a copy of that for the next time you rent out.

 

[severnside gull]

See. Turned out nice again.

I loved George Formby


PS - quite right BTW - civility and politeness almost always pay dividends

 

[SK1NT]

I used to rent out a flat in Brighton.
I collected cash at the end of every month and personally collected it myself.
Which meant at the same time I could inspect the place.
If I saw something I didn't like I used to give them till the end of the next month to sort it out.
If I collected the rent and problem wasn't rectified I gave them a weeks notice with immediate effect.
The following week I would go round to see if they were ready to leave, I would take new barrels for the front door locks.
Most of them left with no trouble.
But I had to 'Black Bag' a couple of them and leave their belongings on the pavement.
They would run away to call the police and complain that they were being evicted and once they were out I changed the lock barrels.
On calling the police they were informed that by leaving the building to call the police they left of their own accord and if they had a problem it was now a civil matter.
The moral of the story is that as far as you are concerened all tenants are wankers.
Believe me I learn't that lesson the hard way.
Also by the way your damp problem is probably made worse by your new windows.
The old ones probably were a bit draughty so let air in and out.
Your new ones won't unless they are fitted with trickle vents and hence all the moisture is now trapped in the building.
If a window was left open a bit it would solve your problem.

cool... i think you get wankers from both tenants and landlords... its not just one or the other...

Got trickle vents on the kitchen and bathroom... however have told them to air the place more....

The interest only mortgage will be gone in a few months when my gf finishes uni and gets a job... however at the moment interest only is the only thing we can afford.

 

[OzMike]

cool... i think you get wankers from both tenants and landlords... its not just one or the other...

Got trickle vents on the kitchen and bathroom... however have told them to air the place more....

The interest only mortgage will be gone in a few months when my gf finishes uni and gets a job... however at the moment interest only is the only thing we can afford.

They are all wankers as far as you are concerned, it makes it easier to deal with them when they reveal their true wankerisms.
Don't get friendly, if they want double glazing and stuff they are more than welcome as long as they are prepared to pay for it them selves.
Any damage caused to anything will be charged to them, you have to show your teeth to these people.
I would have loved to have been your tenant and got away with taking the piss just as they have.
Talk to any landlord, if you tell them all the things you had done for these people they would piss themselves.
What you have to understand is that these type of people will always take all you can give and you make yourself a soft target.
You are probably, like me, a decent bloke but to these poeple you have to make them believe that you are a right hard bastard.

 

[Chicken Run]

Van Hoogstraten knows what he's doing. I met him a few times as my Uncles were friends with him. Good chap and a sound business man. Just take a leaf from his book.

"All tennants are scum"

 

[swindonseagull]

They were so rude to me.. i was there on a cold Friday night, toolbox in hand.. i cancelled my plans because that's when they wanted the blinds fitted and then to be spoken to in the worst way i have ever been spoken to was surreal. I just wanted to hit him i was so angry.

I called the estate agents but they said i have to honour the contract which expires the 31st March

Do a search on NSC, I had the same problems and wanted nigerian tennants out for refusing to pay rent, there was a lot of helpful info in the thread, ( I am at work and dont have time to do a search,)

Also look at Rental Property Knowledge - LandlordZONE

you will find help there, as the agreement is up on March 31st, I think you can serve them notice that they have to be out on March 31st, as for getting rid of them any sooner I dont think u can as it takes 60 days for eviction.

I would personally serve notice that you want them out on March 31st, this way they will have to leave on that date, oterwise you could have non paying tennants. The notice to terminate can be claimed off your landlord insurance,

I used a company I found on the internet, they delivered the notice and it cost £95

When they go get an independant iventory company to check the property in your and the tennants presence, ( hopefully this was also done when they moved in?) any damage should have been raised then...

Management companies will never help.....as they represent the owner and the tennant..

My tennants even stole the dyson, they denied there was one in the hiouse, even though they signed for it!!!..

Also when they are gone make them take ALL their rubbish away..

I feel for you it can be a nightmare....PM if u want any more details.

 

[LadySeagull]

Yes I think you need to serve notice now - even if the letting expires on 31st March. Check it out.

 

[Nibble]

If you read the thread mate you'd realise the rent doesnt even cover the mortgage and it's interest only (a different issue) we were a young couple who simply tried to get on the property ladder at the wrong time and got shafted..simple...

However why shouldnt i keep the rent or even part of the rent reluctantly if the wallpaper is pealing off the walls due to damp?? This issue never arose with the previous two tenants so how can it not be due to them?

Take your rose tinted specs off and realise some tenants do not give a shit about the property they are renting

You're probably right

 

[DumLum]

They shouldn't have spoken to you like that but to be honest they seem to ask for reasonable things. People who rent out flats seem to think they can do this with no cost to them whatsoever and think it's going to be some kind of cashcow for them and get quite a rude awakening when tenants ask for stuff that they are entitled to. And sort the damp out for them . What right do you have to keep their deposit? Unfortunately tenants have to be demanding these days after years of being ripped off by landlords. If you can't handle that sell up and leave that business well alone.

MAybe the flat wasn't clean enough and frankly I would complain if I moved in and someone else's stuff like T.V's and bedframes were in there. It's my home I don't want their shit cluttering it up.

This!

 

[csider]

you paid for the double glazing?? are you f***ing mad?

you can serve notice after 2 months from memory.

do you cook them dinner and wash up for them? got any other flats you want to rent, pref in poor state so i can then get you to decorate exactly how i require it.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

Wait until 31st March.

Dont make any improvements to the flat until they leave, then take a chunk out of their deposit at the end of the tenancy. They won't have a leg to stand on.

this. dont do anything for them. dont renew the contract. let them f*** off!

dont fall out with them. just be patient. you do not want legal battles etc so just let the contract run out if its only another month.

 

[Farehamseagull]

As a landlord you legally always have to serve a minimum of two months written notice. Check your contract to confirm the dates you have to serve notice by, usually the notice period will end at the end of a rental period. Definitely serve that now to end the Tenancy on the earliest possible date, from what you have said you have been a good Landlord and they seem unreasonable. Based on how they have been so far I can't see the situation getting any better for you and at the moment there is a lack of available rental property so you shouldn't have any problem finding a new Tenant.

If you do hold back money from their deposit for any damage which seems fair based on what you said, if they dispute it I hope the inventory you had done was a detailed inventory and schedule of condition carried out by a professional company. Don't worry too much about the photos as the deposit dispute adjudicators do not actually always pay that much attention to them but the written inventory is vital. If the inventory is not of a professional standard you will probably not have a leg to stand on.

With regard to the damp/condensation issue, it is a common problem with Tenants and particulalry in flats. If you have never had a problem before it may partly be down to the new double glazing but usually it is because of the lifestyle within the property. It is a regular cause for Tenants to complain but 90% of the time it is because Tenants are doing things like drying clothes indoors, having a shower and not opening windows and generally not ventilating the property correctly. Any damage caused by this kind of damp would be the Tenants responsibility so make sure they are aware of this. I always hand out information on damp/condensation etc to Tenants at the start of a Tenancy as some people, particularly younger Tenants who have never lived on there own, are not aware of the problems the way they live in a property can cause. It would be a good idea to do something like this in future so Tenants are clear on their responsibilties.

 

[cmonbarrybringonwoody!]

when you've f***ed them off out of it and you've got the keys back, change your locks they sound like complete tossers who cant be trusted as far as you can throw them!

 

[saafend_seagull]

I had these rotting walls from dampness in our flat in Luxembourg. Caused by no ventilation in the bathroom, and from the flat next to us using a washing machine or something against the wall.

They 'magically' turned our notice period from 1 month to 3 months when we handed in our notice to leave.

In the last 2 months the rotting started to get a lot worse (Was hardly noticeable when handed in notice), but had moved out after a month of handing in the notice so just left it to get worse without telling them about it. When the day came to do our 'inventory', they saw how bad it was and they had to knock all walls down to restore it, should have let us have the one month notice period!!! Didn't have to pay a penny of it, and would never have! Agency screwed us, so we returned the favour

 

[Durlston]

I rent a property and have never had any problems with the landlord; only come round once and that was very brief. Just to check that his gaff hasn't burnt down! My housemates and I treat it as we would our own home - smoking outside, keeping things tidy (especially kitchen) etc. There are things wrong with it like half the radiators not working which has been difficult the last couple of weeks and the neighbours have complained about cannabis use outside late at night. The other lot (who are great) say they moaned about everything with the previous tenants; loud kids in the garden playing football, parties etc so it's not just us.

 

[redneb]

I've got a flat near the Level which I rent out. Once I had a tenant who rang me up saying he lost his job and couldnt pay the rent so the agent I got him through basically slung him out as they were a bit dodgy. Then he slung paint all over the front door. Then I had some other tenants moving in and required me to get all my stuff out so they could have all their own stuff - then they left without warning leaving me with an empty flat. I remember being very stressed and almost depressed.

Now I use an agent who are very good, have my interest at heart and my flat is now way at the back of my mind. Trust me mate - its worth the 10%. Before I wish I never had the flat but now i'm laughing with this agent.

Surely with interest rates being rock bottom, your by to let mortgage is low meaning you can afford this extra 10%.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

[MENTION=970]brighton_b0y[/MENTION] - you need to ensure you have a water tight tenancy agreement ( PM me if you want a copy of the one I use ). DPS is all well and good but what most people don't realise is that it refers back to the tenancy agreement. This means that if you have a well worded agreement you can grab parts of the deposit for almost any reason.

Regards notice - you tenancy agreement should have a clause allowing both parties to give notice - usually two months but there's nothing stopping you putting in one month.

Most importantly - DO NOT USE A MANAGING AGENT - they are a complete waste of money. On occasion I'll pay for an introduction of a new tenant but NEVER pay them for the ongoing management of the property.

You should stop being so nice - it's a business - if they want double glazing then OK but you have no obligation to put it in - they took the property as seen. Remove the washing machine and rent the flat completely unfurnished. Your only obligation is to make repairs NOT improvements.

 

[redneb]

[MENTION=970]brighton_b0y[/MENTION] - you need to ensure you have a water tight tenancy agreement ( PM me if you want a copy of the one I use ). DPS is all well and good but what most people don't realise is that it refers back to the tenancy agreement. This means that if you have a well worded agreement you can grab parts of the deposit for almost any reason.

Regards notice - you tenancy agreement should have a clause allowing both parties to give notice - usually two months but there's nothing stopping you putting in one month.

Most importantly - DO NOT USE A MANAGING AGENT - they are a complete waste of money. On occasion I'll pay for an introduction of a new tenant but NEVER pay them for the ongoing management of the property.

You should stop being so nice - it's a business - if they want double glazing then OK but you have no obligation to put it in - they took the property as seen. Remove the washing machine and rent the flat completely unfurnished. Your only obligation is to make repairs NOT improvements.

Partly agree with your comments. Having a good agency certainly has relieved me of a headache.

Your right though. The flat is sold as seen. A tenant just cant decide they should have double glazing, a new carpet or anything.

I would recommend getting second hand white goods (max £50 per item). Then if they go wrong you just replace with another 2nd hand item. Forget having lounge and bedroom furniture.

 

[aberllefenni]

Unless there is a specific clause in the tenancy agreement (not common but it does happen), you must issue a Section 21 notice for at least 2 months. Also make sure it is issued on the rent due date which in your case would be 29th February giving an expiry date of 30th April, issuing on any other date will render the notice invalid. There are several sites on the net where you can download copies, just google Section 21 notice.

The Rent Deposit Boards were set up to alleviate the problem highlighted by Nibble with too many landlords retaining bonds on the flimsiest of reasons. They should act as arbiters in any dispute but their effectiveness varies from area to area.