Dear LL,
Seeking your advice, suggestions and Thank you all in advance!
Situation:- i live 3 hrs away from my property. My tenant got evicted on 17th June and got 14 days to collect their belongings. Despite arranging the date and time for collecting their belongings, ex-tenants break into my property on Tue 29 June and collect their belongings. I have reported to police with burglary and criminal charge but police advice, since my ex-tenants collect their belongings within 14days, it doesn’t class as criminal act and didn’t even bothered to see things out of box, above and beyond. Case was shut down and closed.
Now, my question is,
Can my ex-tenant enter in my private property breaking in and take their belongings without my consent?
Is Police officer who was assigned for the case is RIGHT to say that, tenants have a right to break in and take their belongings when the owner is not in property?
If NO! What crime my ex-tenant has committed? Who to make a complain against Police AUTHORITY for not being confident & competent dealing with civil low profile case?
Any recommendations of Solicitors who has a wealth of expertise dealt with this kind of case?
If their tenancy ended then this would be a crime. I would insist it gets recorded as such. Did they cause damage? How do you know it was the ex-tenants?
Breaking and entering. Put a complaint in writing to police asking for their reconsideration in this matter and request a senior officer deals with it and insist on a response in writing . Many officers of the law just don’t want to deal with it and sounds like you’ve been fobbed off
A-A ,
Yes, Bailiff carried out evicting my tenants and LockSmiths have change all the entry doors lockers on the day,despite he did somehow manage to get inside (no sign force entry)and took their belongings. Police dont see this is a act of crime and don’t want to question my ex tenants.
David122
Tenancy end on the very day when they got evicted.Ex tenants emailed me stating that, now they all got their belongings and I can keep any left behind items.
Ann9
I will make a complaint in writing and will take it from there accordingly.
You have written evidence of their crime
The police should take action
As Anne said write to someone higher up the food chain and threaten action through the IPCC
I have to say, for me, life is too short for creating an argument for the sake of it. If they got in and out without causing any damage, I would be tempted to let it go and get in with my life!
Cath2,
You’re right too, I let it go and was moving forward with my life, despite tenants left with rental arrears ,malicious damage and carried out unauthorised Alteration to the property till the point they entered in my property unauthorised while I was in work.
As my ex-tenant email me to notify that they have collected their belongings and I can keep rest of their items , all I want from the police was to summoned / contact (contact no ,email address provided) my tenants for interview to get at the bottom of the case and understand how they entered into my private property and committed burglary despite all entry locked was changed week ago ?
I got nothing to say,If the UK law allow ex-tenants somehow to gain access to collected their without homeowner consent.
This time, they only took items, next time they might took someone Life.
The thing is did you restrict their access to the property within the 14 days it look like the took it but in the bigger picture as long as they didn’t breech the new locks you placed & they tried to contact you I’d leave well alone, you’ve got your property back, chances are they’ve massive debt letters which will start arriving any time that you’ll need to keep to provide evidence for in court or companies house. I’d just walk away & next time get a management company to deal with rental you might take a hit on the money but it’s better than being involved with some of these people who’s strip the coat off your back then say but we’re tenants & have rights? Right!
just put it down to experience and move on. legal stuff is a black hole for time and money. next time remove goods to another location and tell them it has been removed that way they don’t go back…and better still you can re rent it
i once had a bunch of stuff left by a tenant, we just put everything in the front garden of the guarantor. they couldnt even get to the front door
The police are extremely reluctant to help with tenant issues, its a fine line between criminal and civil, and if they have only taken their own goods you should count yourself lucky, they could have vandalised the place.
It is extremely annoying that they got in (how did the manage it if the locks were all new?), but it sounds like they have put a line in the sand, so maybe you are better conserving your energy and annoyance and making sure that any security weakness is resolved so it can’t happen again.
We had a letting agent years ago, a tenant moved out of her own accord and without acrimony, the letting agent visited the ‘empty property’ and found she had moved herself back in. We have fairly recently started letting property again, and now use card coded keys as to have someone come back in once was more than enough for us.
The police are extremely reluctant to help with any issues.
We were burgled the other week. I have CCTV footage etc
The PC emailed to say do I want to drop the case as my cards have been blocked and the bank has reimbursed the money!!!
Police are useless. I would demand they took it seriously and put it on record. They have a responsibility to do so. This might make them more reluctant to do it again to you or to others.
Find out who chief super is and complain to that person saying you simply need it officially recorded? The police are overstretched, very ignorant, I’m sure some are not but in my experience I’ve never met a decent male officer. They must exist?
this is unfair on the police .We all know they are overstretched. I have met many decent male officers. ,Police men and women have given their lives to protect the public… If you have not met “a dcent male officer” ignorant ? ,this tells us more about you than the police . Shame on you.
Hi Colin. It’s not unfair. It’s MY experience. I was strangled by a crazy neighbour beginning of lockdown. 85 year old KNOWN to the police for being threatening and had been sending letters & postcards to various people threatening to do to them what was on the front of the postcard. I wasn’t privy to the images but police were threatening him saying they would arrest him if he continued. This happened 2 days after I was strangled where a male officer looked at my neck & told me he was t going through take a statement because no one saw it & there were no bruises on me . About 30 neighbours witnessed the screams etc & one neighbour heard everything from him banging furious on my front door, me answering it & within seconds me screaming fir him ti get off over and over again. Bruises showed within 2 days. This same rookie very young, ignorant male officer (of which there are many) still refused. As my best friend was head of murder squad & another a barrister fir CPS, I took advice and they said there is a vast amount of young inexperienced rookies who have no idea what they are doing & to go to chief Super. I did. Things changed and he was charged & put on bail. The case is STILL going on because of STUPIDITY on police part. Unfortunately I can’t afford a lawyer to sue them. But at least my perpetrator now has a record. He still has not been convicted as they keep saying no one actually saw it: I think I have the right to say police are stupid from my experience. It’s not my only experience.
If its any consolation: youre so lucky! Many years ago my tenants vacated my property after having not paid any rent apart from a deposit and being served with a notice to quit. They decided to take £1000s of my furniture with them. When I reported the theft to the police, the 2 young officers who attended said because I had a tenancy agreement with them the theft was not classed as a criminal act. Yes, I am confused too.