A landlord has described how a nightmare tenant left his property crammed with two years’ worth of disgusting litter – including 200 bottles filled with urine.
Jan Pringle said he had to evict the renter from the one-bedroom basement flat after they consistently refused entry for routine checks over their two-year tenancy. Upon finally gaining access, Jan was appalled to find he could barely open the door due to the three feet of rubbish piled up behind it. The landlord in Devonport, Plymouth went on to discover more revolting piles of litter, including 200 vodka bottles brimming with urine and bags of faeces.
He said: “As soon as the door opened, it felt like a rainforest because it was so humid. We couldn’t push the door open because there was so much rubbish but when we did, I can’t describe the smell. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. There were a couple of hundred bottles of wee and bags of poo and I could smell it. I had to crawl over the rubbish wearing a mask and gloves because it’s completely full. You can’t get to the bedroom or bathroom. The toilet was blocked. The rubbish was composting. There were takeaway boxes, eggshells, and empty tins.
“It was two years’ worth of rubbish. There’s one bit of space on the sofa where they must have sat all day and slept. There’s a nice garden outside but the windows and blinds have never been opened. If someone challenged me to make that much mess in two years it would be difficult.”
Jan had employ a forensic cleaning team to make his flat habitable for future tenants – but said he is not angry with the tenant for the mess they left. He added: “I’m not angry with the tenant. He’s slipped through the net. The system is broken. He needs help. I don’t know how someone can live like that. It’s harsh that there’s no one there to look after him.”
Since purchasing the flat in 2017 and enjoying three trouble-free tenancies, Jan faced a number of challenges with the latest tenant, who was initially on a six-month lease before it became rolling. Jan said: “He wouldn’t let us gain access. We’d usually check in every six months to make sure everything is ok. We aren’t allowed to enter without permission unless there’s an emergency.
“I was scared to push too much. The upstairs neighbour said that he’d never taken the bins out and never left the flat so I was worried about him. Around six or seven months ago, I contacted some welfare charities to see if they would make sure he was ok but they said there was nothing they could do because he hadn’t come forward himself.”
Ultimately, Jan resorted to a section 21 eviction, describing it as “the last resort.” The landlord, who owns eight properties, is now re-evaluating his future in the rental business after sharing a video of the flat on TikTok, which has attracted over 16.1k views. Jan said: “People say we are the bad guys. I want to get the point across that the private rental sector is providing a service because there aren’t enough houses. I can’t afford to sell. If I had one or two properties I probably would.”
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