Tenant has abandoned property

[AccidentalLandlord1]

Hi everyone. My tenant of 5 years has abandoned my property today. She text me to say that due to a change in circumstances, she has left the property and has posted the keys through the door and the stuff she has left behind can either be thrown away or kept. I went to check and she has left her all her furniture such as beds, wardrobes, etc. She had always paid her rent on time so admittedly I'd become a bit laid back with checking but I checked today and she has not paid rent for the last 2 months and she missed a payment in October last year too. She also had the cheek to give me her bank details to give her deposit back...! Where do I stand with getting missed rent back from this tenant? I have no idea where she has gone and she seems to of now blocked my number. I am an accidental landlord as you can tell from my username and also rather stupidly did not protect her deposit. Does this mean I have to give it back?! Even if she owes rent. Help desperately needed...

Oh dear @AccidentalLandlord1 yet another clueless and shitty landlord on here.

You can't pursue this tenant for the outstanding rent because you've broken the law. Cut your losses, clear the flat and fucking sell it so you don't leave future tenants at risk.

Do you both have records of the deposit being paid / received?

You've not arranged annual gas safety checks? You just had the one five years ago?

Is this a wind up?

It sounds like you’ve had a lucky escape here.

By not protecting her deposit, you wouldn’t have been able to serve her a Section 21 notice.

She could have stayed in the property and not paid rent and it could have taken you years to evict her.

If I were you I’d thank my lucky stars, return her deposit and take some legal advice.

This.

How are people believing it? 🤭

You didn't protect the deposit, you didn't get annual gas check. She'll know all this. You may be in an area where you need a licence. You have to repay and pray she doesn't report you.

Suggest that you give your property to an agent in future

It's her property and the tenant has left. Stop spouting crap if you don't know what you're talking about.

I was until the gas safety check bit.

There really are a lot of stupid landlords out there. It's not unheard of for them to not protect deposits.

Thread reported.

I’d give her that deposit back quickly and hope she doesn’t sue you for three times the amount, which she is perfectly entitled to do. If the furniture is in decent condition, I’d get a house clearance company in who will clear and sell it as profit.

Are you the same person who posted the other day about raising the rent or kicking her out? Maybe she got wind of it?

Either way due to not protecting the deposit you're best to just try to clean up and move on by selling or re-renting

Maybe you should listen to your own advice there. It isn’t as simple as just reclaiming the properly straight away in most circumstances.

I had one who didn't protect my deposit, and faked our gas safety certs after I reported him to the council for not having any.

There's been a rash of troll threads this week sigh...

If this isn't another troll thread; you're a scumlord who deserves every single fine you get 😆

I’d drop her a message to let her know about the missed rent payment and ask her to pay it and you’ll look at deposit situation. As she’s left a lot of stuff to be disposed of then you’d be within your rights surely to deduct cost of that from the deposit. If she took you to small claims she would surely have to pay the missed rent, so doubt she will

What a bastard. I hope they were prosecuted.
Maybe the op's a twat rather than a troll. Guess it could be either.

I would pay back the deposit because it could cost you a lot of money if she finds out you have not protected it.

If I hadn't had an LL very similar to this, I'd honestly think it was a wind up, unfortunately they do exist and some are even stupid enough to think they're untouchable and never in the wrong because they own some property, and that they're doing tenants a favour by 'letting' them pay money in return for living in their property and forget the tenant is effectively, the customer and as the LL you're providing a paid for service.

Deposits are often at least one month's rent. The fine is several times that. How is that call it quits?? Especially without an up to date gas check?? OP deserves everything they get, if it's a genuine post.

It's her property and the tenant has left. Stop spouting crap if you don't know what you're talking about.

Don't be so fucking rude.

I was a landlord for a few years and in fact you have to be careful about what constitutes surrendering a property, given that the OP hadn't even done the basics with the deposit I thought could do with the heads up there.

So wind your neck in.

Not her fault that you didn’t check if she was paying the rent. She is clearly experiencing some difficult circumstances and you would have been aware of this if you’d followed up with her on the missed payments. Give her the deposit back and move on. I’d be pissed that that left her furniture but it might be useful to you in the long run.

Apple given

Wow