Most Rentals go well. But it can be hard to judge how tenants will behave in the longer term, and if things do go wrong, they tend to be expensive.
From my personal experience, I have inspected with a client a house that had been trashed by the occupants. There were holes in the walls, floorboards had been ripped up and doors were hanging from their hinges. Afterwards we spent five minutes removing fleas from our clothing that had jumped on us from the carpets.
The story from the Herald today about a trashed rental in Papamoa brings home again the hidden dangers of renting property.
There are things that a landlord can do. Credit Checks and following up References are important. Regular inspections, and Meth testing. The appointment of professional Property Managers.
Tenants who seem ok initially, and who check out, can still become nightmare occupants however. Life changes, redundancy, marriage problems, the onset of addictions, other friends or relatives coming to stay, all these can alter a situation.
And when things turn sour they can do so relatively quickly and escalate fast, as in this case. The landlord failed to gain entry for an inspection for 2 months and $30,000 worth of damage accumulated, as well as non payment of rent.
Insurers do sell, as an extension, cover for Malicious Damage and Illegal Substance contamination to property by tenants, and I would urge Landlords to strongly consider this option. Sadly, the couple in the Herald story did not have this cover; they will pick up the bill themselves.
RDi will examine the best options available to us on your behalf and give you a free, no obligation quotation from Leading Insurers.
The Herald story is below
A “heartbroken” Mount Maunganui couple have been left more than $30,000 out of pocket after their rental house was trashed.
Kathy Roberts of Mount Maunganui showed the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend around the home in Papamoa she and her husband Mark had rented to a family for nearly five years.
Rubbish sits in large bags outside the property surrounded by flies. Piles of discarded possessions – shoes, chests of drawers, balls, clothing and other household items – resided in bags and boxes.
Cigarette butts had been tipped on to the carpet, which held layers of dirt and an unknown smeared brown substance.
Mould and grime coated windowsills, fixtures and fittings. The lounge smelled heavily of cigarette smoke, though the lease specified no smoking.
The repair bill has hit the tens of thousands and is still climbing.
The couple did not have landlord insurance, so they would be out of pocket thousands of dollars for cleaning, rubbish disposal, dump fees, new toilets, locks, new paint, carpets and curtains.
Including lost rent, the quotes and bills already paid total $35,364.
The landlords said after years of regular inspections, efforts to access the home over the past couple of months had been unsuccessful.
Results of tests on the home for methamphetamine were expected next week.
When the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend contacted the ex-tenant by phone, she said: “I’m not interested in talking with you.”
for the full story from the Herald, click here