Landlords and letting agents are being confronted with a rise in the number of bad tenants causing damage to property, according to Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC). A recent publicised case of a couple, five children and fourteen mastiffs who turned a four-bedroom house into a filthy rubbish heap, which reeked of dog faeces, urine and rotting food. Hundreds of flies were swarming in the kitchen, with torn rubbish bags and clothes strewn all over the house. Two of the four bedrooms had been turned into kennels and dog mess was embedded in the walls and floor. The family were evicted after accruing £7,000 in unpaid rent. Pat Barber, Chair of the AIIC comments: “We are seeing a rise in the number of bad tenants and have been shocked by the damage and neglect we have found in properties and their grounds. “Time and time again we see damage to carpets, furnishings, skirtings, door frames; front and rear gardens full of rubbish; old white goods, car parts, rusty bikes, scooters, pushchair and hoovers strewn across the front of the property; tenants that sublet without authorisation; several pets in the property without permission; and nuisance tenants who hold rowdy late night parties and have a stream of shady and noisy visitors, day and night. “We had a recent case of a middle aged woman who lived in a 2 bedroomed cottage-style property for several years. The landlord was happy collecting the rent and never heard a word from her. On Check Out day the place was completely trashed. The landlord was shocked - she had given notice to the tenant as she wanted to sell the property. But the disgruntled tenant obviously wanted to make things as difficult for the landlord as she could. “Our advice to landlords and agents is firstly make thorough and detailed checks before taking on a new tenant. Secondly, make visits to the property every three months, so that you can check its condition. If you fail to do this, you could be hit with severe and costly damage and find it uninhabitable for any new tenants, causing a void period while you repair and refurbish the property.”