I’ve recently evicted my tenants as moving back into the property myself. Upon final inspection i was shocked to see the neglect the house has suffered. Damp has set in and there is mould in places. Bathroom tiles have alos been cracked and loads of rubbish left in the yard for me to remove. Going to need a damp course, replastering as well as painting. Not once did the tenants advise of any damp issues or broken tiles. Needless to say I’m keeping the deposit, but is there anything else i can do?Processing: 20230221_152325.jpg… Uploading: 20230221_152321.jpg…
Firstly, you can’t just keep the deposit. If you want any of it then you have to calculate your losses and factor in the age of the items and fair wear and tear and then get either the tenants agreement or adjudication from the deposit scheme.
The first question I would ask you if I were the adjudicator is why you didn’t pick up on the damp issue through your regular inspection regime and nip the problem in the bud and why you think the tenants are liable for a failure of the property’s damp course.
Just a question about this rental, the reason I ask is because,I’ll soon be a first-time landlord.
I’m sorry your property was left in such a mess.
If properties are under property management, isn’t the agency supposed to check on the property periodically and report to you any major changes within the property, damages etc?
You would think so but the agents (and these were well known high street names) I used in the past were not very good at this. You should check what is written in your contract with the agent, whether it specifies property inspections, frequency, whether they send you a report per inspection etc.
Definitely make sure you do an inspection every 6 months. Its easy to fall into a trap like i did where they always pay on time and you never hear from them so assume everything is fine. Good luck!