Nightmare Tenant Central Housing Group

Landlord Shocked By Nightmare Tenant

A landlord was shocked to find a boa constrictor, tarantula and scorpion in his property, in one of the most dramatic examples of a nightmare tenant to hit the headlines in recent years.

Landlord Phil Tewkesley said the tenant couple, who also had a child, used Covid as an excuse to prevent him from inspecting the property in Kendal, Cumbria, for the past two years.

Following a period where they didn’t pay rent for six months, he was eventually able to enter the property after having a locksmith change the locks.

On inspecting the home it was filled with rubbish, while underneath were four snakes – two dead and two alive – as well as fish, bugs crawling across the carpet, a scorpion and a tarantula.

The nightmare tenant apparently bragged about being an animal rescuer, which explains the presence of the creatures. Indeed, he previously spoke of rescuing a boa constrictor, which the landlord reckons is the same one left in a tank in the property.

The RSPCA stepped in to take the two live snakes.

Tewkesley, from Worlsey, Greater Manchester, said: “It was unbelievable, the sheer volume of not just belongings but actual rubbish and food.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life – it was like a rubbish dump with a roof on it.

“The neighbours said they were hoarders – they got deliveries every day and never threw anything out.

“There was mould growing from the carpet and it was full of urine, mealworms – you name it, it was rotten.

“There was also evidence in a number of spots of rodent damage and a bit of an infestation with holes gnawed through places around the house.

“The daughter’s room was the worst – my partner Lisa cleared that and had to run out of the house heaving and retching numerous times because of the stench of urine.

“I saw this huge tank and it was dirty. I looked a bit closer into the tank and got the shock of my life – there was this gigantic snake curled up.

“I was terrified, I screamed and ran out of the house because the shock of seeing something like that was unbelievable.”

The landlord formally issued a notice for his tenant to leave the bungalow in late 2020 after spending six years living and working in Australia.

But the couple didn’t leave the property for another year, even refusing to pay the rent for six months.

After the animals were discovered the RSPCA officers called the police to witness the recovery for the items.

Once they were removed the locks were changed and the tenants were given a month to remove the rest of the belongings before the cleanup could begin.

It took the landlord, his partner Lisa McCartney, and friends, 54 hours and almost £2,000 to clear the rubbish, rip the soiled carpets out and dump it in a skip.

Phil owned the property since 2011 and used it as a holiday home before moving to Australia in late 2014. He was forced to return after being made redundant in August 2020.

The landlord has vowed to use the nightmare case to raise awareness of rogue tenants.

Blog Post from Property Investor

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