‘Horrible’: Landlord’s $80k nightmare after tenant trashes home
A retired landlord has had to pay a hefty repair bill to fix the shocking damage a tenant left behind, including bizarre holes on the doors and walls. Take a look inside
A Sydney retiree has had to cough up nearly $80,000 in repairs after her long-time tenant trashed her rental home in the city’s southwest.
Bradbury landlord Maree Barton said the damage was so excessive she has had to take out a loan to do the repairs in order to sell the investment.
Some of the damage included hammer marks on the doors and walls, scuffs on the floors and graffiti.
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Poor upkeep meant there was also a mould problem and the house was now uninhabitable. Other damage was the result of years of wear and tear.
“I knew it was going to be in poor condition, but it was worse than I thought,” Ms Barton said, adding that she needed to hire an army of skips for clearing items left inside the property.
Her agent Jamie Cross, who will handle the sale when the home is listed after the renovation, said the condition was “horrible”.
“It was just trashed. It was disgusting,” he said. “Gyprock was mouldy and someone just went nuts with a hammer.”
It’s the latest in a recent spate of tenants wreaking havoc on Sydney rentals, with agents reporting high rents were a factor in some tenants struggling to take care of properties.
A landlord in Blacktown recently had to board up their windows when listing their property up for sale due to the tenant wrecking the interior. Many of the walls were covered in fist-sized holes.
The agent revealed the extent of the repairs needed made the property more attractive as a potential knockdown-rebuild project.
There were similar recent incidents in Tregear and Whalan in the Mount Druitt area.
One popular option for landlords who couldn’t afford the repairs was to access credit specifically for home sellers, which they could pay off with the proceeds of the eventual sale.
Research from specialised finance provider Salefunder showed landlords taking this route were typically borrowing to fix up damaged carpets, chipping on walls and rubbish removal.
High pressure cleaning, kitchen rehabs and painting were other common repairs. The typical spend was $16,000-$19,000.
Salefunder founder Lucas McEntee said it could be much harder for homeowners to keep track of damage in rentals because much of it could occur over an extended period of time.
“Rentals can get very tired,” he said. “Tenants take less care because it’s not theirs and the problems can stack up.”
Ms Barton said having to do the renovation on her Bradbury investment property was frustrating and she was looking forward to selling the property at auction in March.
“I could sell the property as it is, but they told me no one will want to move in. It’s not liveable,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the renovation and then I don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Originally published as ‘Horrible’: Landlord’s $80k nightmare after tenant trashes home