Tenant has moved out and destroyed furniture – refusing to pay?

I would send then a Letter Before Action, setting out your losses and giving them 14 days to pay. Tell them that if payment is not received you will commence legal proceedings in the County Court.

You can due them via Money Claim Online and it doesn't cost a lot. If you win, which you should, you can get a CCJ for your losses, Court fee and interest.

Sorry to say I suffered a very similar situaion, I have a CCJ from February 2022 awarding me the rent owed and court costs, I have received not one penny, I can see not point in spending more time and money pursuing them for the £ 10,550 the repairs cost, the system does nothing for us, there is no justice for private landlords I'm sad to say. Yes I did references and credit checks, perhaps there should be a private database of bad temants we could check but I'm sure they'd find a way to say we're breaking the law. Sorry but my advice would be to get it repaired as soon as you can afford and find a new tenant or sell the property

You wont get the money but it is still worth doing a moneyclaim for £100 as this is fairly cheap but will give the tenants a CCJ (and stuff him for 6 years) . If it was a joint tenancy you can put both people on the same claim for the same price.

After 35 years in the business, I would say concentrate on getting your asset back in action ASAP to minimise losses.
It is important to go after them in court, but the objective of that exercise is the CCJ. You are unlikely to get any money no matter how much you spend on Debt recovery.
This has happened more than a few times over the years to me and every landlord in the country. So relax and get on with the rest of your life as quickly as you can. And do referencing from landlord, employer and bank.
Hope that helps

I would suggest it may be worth checking if they already have any CCJ's otherwise the court route will just cost you money with no effect.
I am a landlady and have a business where I often have to pursue debts. Those with no current CCJ's are far more likely to pay up. Those already with CCJ's just don't care and never pay. They just end up costing more time, stress and money!

I would contact my insurance company and make a claim. Let them chase the tenant. Don't clear up the mess until they have had the opportunity to send a loss adjuster. Loss of rent will be covered if you have a decent policy.

The pain never ends for landlords...

My pain was £20k, but the [fully referenced] tenant ended up in prison for a vile offence, so no chance of payment. A CCJ means nothing to people in that sub-class.

I think you've got your answer as to moving forward Ravel. Painful, gut wrenching experiences makes you consider options and why so many Llords exiting PRS. Best not to include white goods or furniture however tempting (tenants provide these if they want them) and ensure you have good insurance policy as well as rent and court cost recovery.

Consider a guarantor for your next tenants, on top of all the other due diligence that you must do

Doesn't this satisfy the definition of criminal damage...'Section 1(1) CDA 1971 - A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another, intending to destroy or damage any such property, or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged, shall be guilty of an offence.' If the tenants actions are considered criminal damage, say you'll report them to the police. I own a number of student properties and have suffered a lot of needless damage over the years. It's surprising as soon as I say I will report the tenants to the police how enthusiastic they are of putting things right. My view is, they know what they are doing, when they are doing it and I'm not going to pay for their disrespectful behaviour.