Anger at mess left by tenant from hell

9:56am Friday 27th June 2008

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DISGUSTED Kevin and Janice King are to sell their family home after they say a tenant from hell caused thousands of pounds of damage to it.

Mr and Mrs King, of Honey Garston, Calne, could not believe the state of the house they rented out on Abberd Way. They claim their tenant left earlier this month leaving £3,000 worth of unpaid rent.

The house has been left in such an appalling state that the Kings have had an estimate of £4,000 to have it sanitised and repaired.

They have said that they cannot afford the bill and so are having to sell the home they have owned for 25 years and where their two children grew up.

Mrs King, 52, a PA for Wiltshire County Council, said: "This has broken my heart - that house was our cherished family home and that woman has desecrated it.

"I would not let an animal live in that state let alone another human being.

"There was rubbish everywhere, everything was covered in mould, windows had been smashed, doors were hanging off their hinges, there were dirty knickers all over the place and it all smelt rotten.

"When we looked into the garden there were 40 black bin liners full of rubbish festering away and the grass was waist high.

"It was absolutely filthy and I felt sick as soon as I walked through the door. We only found out about the state of the house after the tenant posted a nasty letter through our door saying she was doing a midnight flit.

"The house is going to need new carpets, curtains, cooker, windows and the whole house needs a deep clean."

Mr and Mrs King began renting the house to the tenant three years ago when they moved into a smaller property.

The rent was paid via direct debit so the only contact the couple had with the tenant was when Mr King, 59, occasionally went to fix the boiler.

Mr King, a plumber, visited the house on a handful of occasions over the three years but said the house was not in a bad way at all.

Mrs King says that she has felt ill ever since she and her husband visited their property.

She said: "I am certain I have caught something after going in there. People should not be allowed to get away with this - we have been left out of pocket and dumbfounded by the repulsive way some people can live."

The couple have not involved the police because they are waiting on advice from a legal advisor.