How should we handle tenants’ belongings and mould after eviction?

How should we handle tenants’ belongings and mould after eviction?

0:05 AM, 2nd December 2024, About 3 weeks ago 12

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After months of struggle (9 months), including a breathing space moratorium, we have finally managed to evict our tenants for non-payment of rent (Section 8).

However, the flat is still full of their belongings as they didn’t expect to leave, and now they’re threatening to sue us. They claim to be afraid that someone will photograph or steal their possessions and say they’ll seek legal advice to take action after this weekend. They want access to pack up their things themselves, as some items are “sensitive or fragile,” but we are concerned that if we allow them back in, they may barricade themselves inside.

We would like to arrange to have the tenants’ belongings professionally packed up and their possessions removed to a storage facility. The eviction just happened so we haven’t had advice from our solicitor yet as to what we can do. Can anyone advise what you would do in our situation? The tenants are very crafty and can’t be trusted. We were extremely lucky to get them out.

The flat has been left with with lots of damage including black mould and we would like to treat it immediately. Can anyone also please tell  the best products that we should be using to treat the mould problem?

Thank you,

Tamara

Editor’s Note: Please see Julie Ford’s article on what a landlord must do if a tenant leaves possessions behind after eviction here


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Tam Fenton

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22:52 PM, 18th December 2024, About 4 days ago

Reply to the comment left by Julian Lloyd at 02/12/2024 - 10:26
Thank you. Good idea aabout putting stuff in the middle of the room. Everything I google either says a "reasonable" time or 14, 30 and 45 days. They don't make it easy for Landlords

Tam Fenton

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0:38 AM, 19th December 2024, About 4 days ago

Hi everyone, thank you for your comments, especially confirming that we should not let them back in. We agree, no way!
We were completely overwhelmed (and depressed) by the terrible (gross) state of the flat and the amount of stuff piled high in all of the rooms in the flat. You had to walk sideways absolutely everywhere to get anywhere. We have now thoroughly inspected and somewhat recovered from the shock enough to ask a solicitor what to do now that 14 days have passed since the eviction, as they are claiming that they want the stuff, some is supposedly valuable and alot definitely isn't. There is so much stuff that it would cost a fortune to pack, remove and store it. We have asked them to arrange storage, or what they want us to do with it. They are no longer replying to us so we have become involuntary bailees as we can't make them reply or make them rent storage and we don't want to get stuck paying to store their possessions. Apparently the Tort (Interference with Goods Act) 1977 may or may not apply to us. So more research ahead.
They are very crafty and this is not their first rodeo. So we are thankful we got the place back.
We have been Landlords a very long time but this experience has shown us that we are long overdue for leaving rental market. It sucks for Landlords

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