Tenant has done a runner, what can I do?

[ricoeliso]

I'm sure that everyone is facing their fair share of challenges at the moment, but i was hoping to get some advice form this forum with regards to a tenant that has absconded.

To caveat, i'm an accidental landlord so letting is not an industry i have gone into with a view to making extra income. The rent I receive barely cover the mortgage and service charge.

Even before the Covid19 situation, my tenant was regularly late with paying the rent and had also failed to pay me the full deposit (instalments had been drip fed to me over months). Once the lockdown started, she announced that she wasn't going to pay anymore rent - but had not request a payment holiday, just simply not pay. She then told me that she was moving out, with a lacklustre promise that everything would be settled before she left. However (surprise, surprise!), this weekend she has sent me a one-liner message saying she has gone, and now refuses to answer the phone or any further messages.

Aside from the fact that she still owes me rent and has left the place in a sorry state, it also appears that she has not settled the council tax or utility bills. Is there any means by which i can pursue her for these outstanding amounts? She has not provided a forwarding address, and she no longer works at the company that she was registered with on her background check, so I literally have no means of getting hold of her. I presume that this is not something he police/authorities would be interested in, but I imagine that the council and utility company want paying and are going to expect me to settle up if she cannot be located.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[MIKE770]

same old story I use to hear and get , move on, next time no full deposit no let, short term contract or long term? sure others will respond, as many a person doing a runner has no assets so you would loose all round. also once a tenant is behind on rent then after 6 weeks or so start procedure to evict ,(takes time but they are on notice) as I found years ago most of these type tenants have income in respect of rent allowances from council etc but for many use it to help their addictions or other?

[MIKE770]

she is liable for council tax etc as not included within rents?? utilities company have you informed them tenant vacated? did she have the account in her name?

[ricoeliso]

she is liable for council tax etc as not included within rents?? utilities company have you informed them tenant vacated? did she have the account in her name?

thanks for response. I'm checking now with the utility company as i am not actually sure which one she is signed up to. No council tax was not included in the rent, as is usually the case.

[Crazy council]

Hi, in your contract with her, even basic standard ones, make the tenant liable for all bills during the time they are there ( see the conditions under enants responcability ) , Take meter readings and supply them to the gas/elecy/water companies.

the supply companies sometimes try suggest the owner/LL is responcable but ignore them if they do. Record sending them the meter readings if possible.
The lockdown is causing some difficultys in the rental business but it seem to be, if you have a tenants that had issuse before the lockdown, they are getting worse, but the ones without issuse seem to be managing mostly.

In the first few weeks we heard reports from LLs of tenants saying there not paying, especialy when the Gov said no evictions, but things seem to have settled out.

from my experience, about 1 in 40 tetancys end with some problems, you very rarly get any money back if you chase the bad ones afterwords, Just move on with a new tenant, Were expecting high demand of propertys for the first 3 months of this lifting.