'Disgraceful mess': landlord's cautionary tale

'Both landlords and tenants have rights and responsibilities even if there is no written agreement'

PROPERTY DAMAGE: The state of disrepair to Thomas Olley's Turkey Beach property. Picture: Thomas Olley

A TURKEY BEACH property owner is warning other landlords to organise tenancy agreements in advance after a horror experience with former tenants.

Thomas Olley, 67, rented out his Bells Rd property to three tenants before Christmas and said they seemed 'pretty good'.

"I thought they're all OK, so it'll be OK (to rent out the property)," Mr Olley said.

His daughter-in-law advertised the property online on his behalf and didn't opt to go with a real estate agent.

The tenants paid rent to Mr Olley every fortnight, however a lease and bond was not signed.

He went away to visit relatives in New South Wales and on his return in January, he found the tenants turned it into a 'wrecking yard'.

"There were four wrecked cars down there," he said.

When Mr Olley asked the tenants about finalising a lease, the tenants refused.

"They said they didn't believe in signing leases," he said.

In the end, Mr Olley was successful in evicting the tenants and February 26 was the first time he was able to inspect the property.

"They left the place in a disgraceful mess," he said.

He found damaged walls, drained water tanks and cut pipelines. Three water pumps and a ride-on mower were also stolen.

Total costs are estimated to be over $30,000.

A Rental Tenancies Authority spokeswoman said a written tenancy agreement is a very important legal requirement.

"(This) ensures all parties to a lease are aware of the terms of the tenancy," she said.

"Both landlords and tenants have rights and responsibilities even if there is no written agreement."

A Real Estate Institute of Queensland spokeswoman said property managers lessen the risks when renting out a property.

"They take the hassle out of owning an investment property while maximising your return and they also make the investment scalable," she said.

She said managers provided expert guidance on the rental market, helped out with legal compliance and were experienced in assessing potential tenants.

For Mr Olley, his experience has not deterred him from renting out the property again and he'll advertise through real estate.

"Professionals know how to do everything," he said.