Info from the house

[stanthorpe]

Its... been recovered, albeit in a fairly poor state. They've smashed some windows, and done some random damage to the ceiling in the main room (as far as I can tell), but aside from those 2 items, the rest of the property is in a renovatable state, though the first thing it needs (aside from the window being repaired) is a damn good clean.

The kitchen appears to be in a fairly good condition, which is a huge relief: again, it needs someone to spend a day cleaning it up, but - crucially - it doesn't need stripping out and being redone. Also, the garden needs a major overhaul.

Anyway 'could be worse' is the conclusion that I reach. And they're now gone. Let the renovation commence.

S

Comments

[finnshadow.livejournal.com]

bad news about the windows, but as you say, could be worse. Pair of hands on offer for cleaning and garden.

[viscount-s.livejournal.com]

Since writing the initial post, I've contacted the letting agency and got some further information. The place is unbelievably filthy - so much so that its going to take a professional cleaner several days to get it up to a decent standard again. Also, there is (fortunately) only one window that is smashed - this is the inner pane in the bathroom, so the property is still secure.

As an interesting aside, the tenants apparently changed the locks on the front door, in an attempt to thwart the agents from regaining possession!

Fortunately, when the bailiffs came round, they had already scarpered, so my nightmare scenario of 'them being thrown onto the street, leaving my house full of their junk that I have to pay to get rid of' hasn't come about. If only they'd been so thoughtful when smoking in the house and trashing it & paying their rent, it wouldn't have come to this.

Lastly, I'm going to be chasing them up - they owe me close to 4 and a half thousand pounds (just shy of one and a half thousand in back rent and two and a half thousand in repairs) and I intend to get my money back.

S

[sendraks.livejournal.com]

Bastards! Good luck at hunting them down like the dogs they are!

[anged.livejournal.com]

Phew. At least they're gone.

[rosie-t-riveter.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they're gone, and that the house is relatively unscathed.

I do hope you do get at least some of your money back, but as whollyrandom indicates, it's not likely. (I nearly said "probably not likely" but thought that was a bit woolly, even for me!) If I was you, I would chase them as long as I had the funds/energy, but would expect to cut my losses before I got much out of them. Good luck.

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

Bastards. Glad there gone

[doki-chan.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you'd have more luck hiring a couple of bruisers with baseball bats for £100 each to go thrash it out of them....

[cimeara.livejournal.com]

It's good to hear the house isn't in worse shape: they could have done incredibly worse damage. Not that it in any way excuses them, and I do hope you get some recompense, emotionally or fiscally.

[bitvacuous.livejournal.com]

Yay - the 2 pluses I can see to starting legal action against them
1 you get to feel you've got some retribution
2 they get will have a record that makes it unlikely that other landlords (other than a Local Authority) will get the same problem with them.
as others have said stop as soon as 1 is partially met and before your purse is further damaged. And you get SOOO many good person points for 2.