In an ideal world you have satisfied students paying the rent and looking after your property but things can go wrong and it pays to know your rights if they do.
Before letting your property you have found the correct agreement and done an inventory of items which you are providing and which you expect to be looked after. Let’s suppose the tenant or tenants leave but don’t take all their belongings, and often rubbish, with them. Where do you stand?
Landlords often assume that they can simply claim the property to offset against damage or outstanding rental, and this is on top of a deposit which will normally have been paid. Wrong! You could run into a whole lot of trouble with Tort legislation here and don’t forget you may also have to prove to an arbitrator at a Tenants’ Deposit Scheme why you are withholding money too.
If your tenants have left without giving written notice be very careful indeed. There may be items of value left which they could reclaim long after they are forgotten. Post your intention to enter the property to the address, register the postage and then on the expiry of the given term go in. Take a witness, a camera, a tape recorder and carefully note the condition of every room with notes and pictures.
If there are items which do not belong to you it is wise to store them and keep a separate inventory for them. Have it dated and witnessed and make every attempt to contact your missing tenant or tenants in writing to let them know it is your intention to dispose of the property after a statutory period.
Search everywhere, not forgetting the loft space, and note everything no matter how insignificant it may seem. It could save you aggravation further down the line if you can prove conclusively that you have taken the proper course of action.
