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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Landlords! WWYD if your tenants fled the country without paying rent?

20 replies

msrisotto · 04/08/2012 22:07

The place is a mess, mattress obviously been replaced with one a size too small for the frame. Unfortunately the rent is only one months rent so I will be out of pocket! What can I do? Anything?

OP posts:

FelicitywasSarca · 04/08/2012 22:08

I'd be pissed off.

But in reality?

Nah not a lot you can do.

Sorry.

expatinscotland · 04/08/2012 22:10

There's nothing you can do.

Original poster

msrisotto · 04/08/2012 22:15

I agree. I was hoping for something though! Apparently I can ensure that he is bankrupt in this country as he owes me more than x amount but that won't achieve anything in reality.

OP posts:

savoycabbage · 04/08/2012 22:22

This wasn't as hard as yours as it wasn't abroad but...

My sister tracked hers down through Facebook. She looked at their photos and worked out where they were. Over a period of months. Printed out ones that were interesting such as an overseas holiday and a massive expensive looking new tattoo. She found out where they worked through their photos and then I rang up and asked for him and when he wasn't there asked for and was given his mobile number.

We rang everyone in a 40 mile radius of his job in the phone book with his surname till we got his mum and the we used that address and took him to court.

She got her money back.

Original poster

msrisotto · 04/08/2012 22:24

Well, I think I know where he works as he left work shirts with badges on. He said he came to the UK through work so maybe he went back with them too. I don't know if I can take him to court when he's in a different country though!

OP posts:

tricot39 · 05/08/2012 07:31

Try posting in legal?
Is he in the EU?

Original poster

msrisotto · 05/08/2012 08:22

He's Australian :(

OP posts:

savoycabbage · 05/08/2012 08:30

Do you know he's left the country?

savoycabbage · 05/08/2012 08:31

What company does he work for? I live in Australia. I'll ring them up for you.

noddyholder · 05/08/2012 08:31

I think there is nothing you can do. This happens in any business scenario profit and loss and is to be expected sadly from time to time. Many new landlords are not prepared for this as they are merely trying to make the figures work wrt the mortgage whereas those in it for the long haul can weather his sort of storm. You could try writing to him but it looks like with the mattress etc he meant to do this.

DukeHumfrey · 05/08/2012 08:39

Claim on your insurance?

Original poster

msrisotto · 05/08/2012 09:13

Thanks savoy but I have Skype and can call them myself sometime, when I've figured out what I am trying to achieve. Apparently I have to be mindful of harassing him! I can weather this, the damage is more about my time than money. I'll look into the insurance, thanks duke.

OP posts:

PigletJohn · 05/08/2012 09:29

he might come back one day. I like the idea of getting a CCJ so that if he does come back, he won't have such as easy ride next time.

Oddly enough I know someone who went to Oz some years ago, ignoring bank overdraft. income tax and credit card debts and arranging for her mail to be sent to parents house with instructions not to tell anyone her new address.

Eventually I think the parents got fed up with the letters and debt collectors and the person was forced to come to some kind of repayment schedule. I don't know how it was done.

oreocrumbs · 05/08/2012 09:41

Sometimes you just have to let it go.

Check out your insurance, and before you ring them check that you have malicious damage cover. If you don't they won't pay for tenant damage so you could only claim for accidental damage - have a good look and see what is malicious and what seems accidental.

Then, and I say this as freshly being badly burned by a tenant - (no rent for over a year, huge legal bill to get her out, completely trashed house - no malicious damage cover tens of thousands out of pocket). Take it on the chin and let it go.

You are already out of pocket. This is the downside to being a LL, it will cost you more money to pursue the debt, and you probably won't get anything back. For the sake of your sanilty you can't get hung up on it.

I would contact his employers, especially if he was here for work - you never know they may compensate you or bollock him - but other than that, as bloody galling as it is, just write it off to experience.

justasecond · 05/08/2012 12:49

This has happened to me before, nothing you can do really. Oreo is right you wil just have to let it go, comes with being a LL.

fivegomadindorset · 05/08/2012 12:51

Is there still a deposit?

Original poster

msrisotto · 05/08/2012 13:05

Yeah, it's one month's rent. So it's great that I won't lose the last months rent, but I will be out of pocket for replacing the mattress and clearing up the mess he left.

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 05/08/2012 13:14

Non-priority debt like this also time-barred. So if you spend money to get a CCJ over a debt like this, it's still time-barred. Not worth the money, probably.

goingundertheradar · 05/08/2012 19:56

If its "just" the mattress and the mess then I would say you've come off lightly. The only thing you could do to help next time is make the deposit 6 weeks which covers the usual one month tenants seem to "forget" to pay plus some damage allowance.

Trust me the fees and emotional stress of bankruptcy here are just not worth it.

Yankeecandlequeen · 06/08/2012 09:07

Not a lot you can to unless you track him down. We had this problem with a tennant. He pissed about a lot. Missed one payment then paid the next. Then we sent him a letter saying you have 7 days to pay up then he'd do that.

Then he stopped paying all together. DH knocked at the property to no avail. For weeks we tried to contact him. The house looked dark. Then DH & I went up together to tackle him. Used our key to get in & it wouldn't work. We thought he'd changed the locks.....which he hadn't.

Turns out he was in the property all the time.

I got pissed off on Boxing Day 2006 & went up with a letter telling him to leave by 8am New Year's Day 2007 or we'd break in the house to find him.

Went up at 9am & he'd left!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!!! Got our house back. Left a telescope, keys & log book to a campervan he had in the garden (we sold for £1600) & endless amount of disposable gloves & those little sealy bags. i suspect he was dealing drugs from that.

He was an electrician & the bastard bypassed the meter so had free leccy for month. Shut the blinds & curtains & even put a brown carpet on the door - nailed in to stop the light.

BUT...what pissed me off more than ever is we went though an estate agent (very well known where I live - one of the biggest) & they said he had a CCJ in his name but it was now cleared. We paid them to do proper checks.

Glad he was out of the place cos its now my dream home. For a few months we got letters from companies after his money. Took a long time to tell them "he ain't here"!

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