Help - is this right and what the hell can they do?

[MistressSeuss]

Any police officers/legal bods out there?
My friend has discovered that their tenants have stripped the house and put a massive skunk farm in it - they live hundreds of miles away and had no idea.

The police found it after someone reported a break in and took the plants and destroyed the equipment, but have left it in the house, and have informed my friend its their responsibility to dispose of the mess.

The house is trashed - they have rewired the electrics to get mains for the lights, knocked holes in the floor etc etc

Apparently the insurance company say they are not covered as it was malicious damage...

They have very little money, couldn't sell the house so put a new bathroom in and rented it out and now look to be even more out of pocket than if they had sold it.

Anyone got any advice or similar experience? will the police/council really not help etc? The tenants are of course long disappeared.

Thanks for any help!

I have posted about this to other landlords re insurance. You MUST, MUST ensure that your policy includes malicious damage cover. To the person who doubted this in my previous posts here is another poor soul who probably didn't realise that MD cover is an add on and not standard cover. Please be aware if you are renting out or thinking of renting out your property.

Anyway, lecture over. The only thing the police will do is give you a crime reference number which the insurance would need if you were able to claim. I doubt the Council will be able to help although for a fee they may clear the property for you. They are likely to charge excessively though. I'd suggest your friends google cleaning companies and see if anyone can help. Either that or they make the trip themselves and get in loads of cleaning fluid. They may be able to pick up a cheap bathroom suite and anything else new to scrub it up from ebay or B&Q.

Other than that, I am sorry this has happened to them. One of those things you learn about but usually not until too late. I hope they get it sorted out.

oooh and yes, the insurance company won't pay out on standard cover only.

Agree with MS that police/council will not help. Police are presumably looking for the tenants in connection with the skunk farm but how successful they will be is anybody's guess. Even if they do track them down and prosecute, it will be up to your friends to recover the damages to their house themselves. Presumably they were not using an agent to rent/manage the property in which case they might have a comeback against the agent for not doing regular inspections?

Good point annh. Do they have an agent acting for them?

I know they didn't have a management company as relatives nearby would have helped out if things needed doing, but I'm not sure re how they procured the tenants, I think through an agency - I assume references were faked etc. Unfortuately its rather too common in Ramsgate at the moment.

Anyone want to purchase 20m2 of hydroponics equipment, one owner, slight damage, proven to provide a high standard of quality and quantity?!!

Thanks for confirming their suspicions

I feel for them, I really do. I learnt the hard way too. I really hope they get it sorted.