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Landlords should prepare for the worst when evicting tenants

Published: 4 October 2011. Written by Paul Shamplina

The landlord has been waiting months for this day. They’re nervous and apprehensive, waiting outside for the bailiff to turn up. Landlords that have never experienced evictions before do not know what to expect once they get in to the property. When the bailiff does arrive, usually after already attending many evictions that morning, he does so with his locksmith. The bailiff bangs on the door, but there’s no answer. With the landlord not having they keys to the property or the tenants having potentially changed the locks, the locksmith goes to work. After a gruelling wait, the door opens and reality hits home.

The landlord has to be prepared to see the worst. Not only have they taken a hit with regard to unpaid rent and legal expenses but the six million dollar question is: what state is the property in?

From being a former bailiff to setting up Landlord Action in 1999, we have dealt with thousands of evictions all over the country. We’ve had numerous instances where the place has been completely trashed, where tenants have left in a hurry and left some of their belongings, where there’s been rotting food left in the house that fills the air with its stench. We’ve even had one instance where turning up to an eviction in Blackpool, the tenant stole the conservatory! Even more recently, only last week we handled an eviction in Sheffield where the tenant left his parrot in the property. This has been a problem in the past where tenants have cruelly left animals behind, forcing the landlord to contact the RSPCA.

Landlords need to be prepared. Not all cases will be worst case scenarios. Some tenants will leave the property in a reasonable state. But after appearing on numerous TV programs attending to evictions, nothing surprises me anymore.

So Mr or Mrs landlord, be prepared and make sure you have a game plan and the finances to put your property up to a sellable state and get it back on the market, because you’ll need to act quickly to recoup some of your losses.