5 of the worst nightmare tenants Part 1

1) The animal lover
    - They ask if animals are allowed, you say no and they tell you they don't have any.  ( an alarm bell should sound at this point).  When they move out, the place stinks and the carpet has all kinds of stains in it
2) The party animals
   - If you rent to students expect this.   Endless comings and goings.  Complaints from neighbours about noise at all hours of the night.  You let them know about the complaints but nothing comes of it. Eviction is the only solution
3) The chronic late payors
   -This type of tenant is always difficult to spot. They appear respectable and trustworthy on first inspection but a couple of months into the tenancy and the rent is a few days late and the chase to get paid starts. Eventually you get the money but then the next month it happens all over again and a different excuse every month.  The arrears start mounting up and your cashflow suffers and  and it becomes more difficult to pay the mortgage on the property.
4) The extended family
   These tenants are also difficult to identify. Everyone likes a strong family – but these tenants take it one step too far.

The tenant moves in, perhaps on their own, or perhaps with a partner. Everything seems fine; the rent arrives on time, and you hear very little from the tenant. Then, a couple of months later, a friendly neighbour calls you because they are concerned about strange comings-and-goings. They tell you it looks like there are new people living in the property.

At the end of the tenancy, it becomes clear that the tenant’s entire family had been living in the property. The living room has been converted into a bedroom; the carpets are completely worn through; various pieces of broken furniture are strewn around. It costs you more than the value of the deposit to clean up.

5) The bureaucrats
   These tenants are always the hardest to spot. They might be young professionals, or perhaps recent graduates. They know a bit about the law, and want to make sure everything is done by the book from the start.

At the end of the tenancy, though, you inspect the property and find that there is some damage to the furniture. Nothing too major, but enough to warrant making a deduction from their deposit.

You inform the tenants of this, and they immediately tell you that they will not accept the deduction. They take the case to adjudication through the Deposit Protection Service, and you are tied up in months of wrangling.