Tenant From Hell
Tenants are usually asked to return a property in good condition, but for one British couple, entering their flat after seven long years became a nightmare. The state was so terrible that it was difficult for them to even breathe inside.
Chris Considine, 70, and wife Sandra, 58, from Warwickshire in Nuneaton, England, were left in total shock when finally granted access to their own flat earlier this year. What they entered is worst than their imagination: rooms packed with over 3,000 empty beer cans, urine-packed boxes, feces-filled bags, and festering takeaway meals scattered around.
They had previously purchased the two-bedroom flat in 2018 for their daughter. But witnessing a friend in dire need, they openly offered it to him temporarily at a rate of £30 per week. They expected him to stay for a short while, assist with some painting jobs, and then vacate. He, however, stayed in the flat for seven years, never paying any rent after the initial week, and outrightly refused to vacate.
"He paid the rent just the one time, and then he just neither paid nor left," Chris said. "He exploited loopholes in the law to keep the property and refused us entry for seven years."
It wasn't until January of 2024 that the tenant finally vacated. When Chris and Sandra returned in June, they were horrified at what they found.
"When we went inside, we were shocked. The floor was blanketed with beer cans, some of which were empty and some of which had urine in them. Some areas had bags of human waste, broken furniture, and totally destroyed walls and toilets. You couldn't even touch anything without something nasty leaking out. It's a tiring and frustrating job," Chris said.
Having to fight against cancer, Chris was both emotionally devastated and physically exhausted by the condition of his formerly well-maintained flat.
He explained how he met the man for the first time while working at DPD and, noticing he lived in a tent, assisted him. "He was staying in a tent when I met him. I felt sorry for him and wanted to assist," he said.
Sandra added, "We never treated him as a tenant, he was a pal. That's why we didn't charge much money. But now we feel he totally took advantage of our trust."
Hoping to lose no more money than they can afford, the couple are looking to their daughter, 25-year-old Rose Considine, who has created a GoFundMe page for fundraising and to help towards the huge cost of renovating the flat.
