Flat-Living.co.uk News Tenants from hell
The research – complied by
http://www.videoinventoryagency.co.uk has highlighted the ‘top 10’ worst tenant atrocities: • Structural damage to a ceiling committed by a female tenant in Birmingham who installed a pole-dancing studio in her front room;
• A tenant who built a two- storey extension without the landlord’s knowledge or planning permission;
• The inventory clerk who went to a supposedly ‘empty’ property to find the tenants had moved back in;
• The doctor who had several cannabis plants growing in a cupboard, claiming they were for ‘medicinal purposes’;
• The tenants who tried to bribe an inventory clerk not to report damages;
• A decorative whip and other sex toys left in a city centre flat – the tenant was very embarrassed and claimed she was into horse riding;
• The trainee medical students who claimed doctors were exempt from having to tidy up after themselves when the state of the flat was queried;
Bribing inventory clerks, growing cannabis plants in the airing cupboard and building an extension without permission – these are just a few eyebrow-raising crimes allegedly committed by UK property tenants in the last 12 months. The survey of 40 UK inventory clerks has uncovered a litany of damage, disastrous decorating and petty theft stories – enough to make landlords and property agents wince.
• The female tenant who objected when the inventory clerk claimed the carpet was dirty. She denied it needed vacuuming stating: “Why does it need cleaning, I’ve only been here for six months?”
• A tenant who stole a 10-year-old cherry tree from the back garden having lived in the property for six months – he claimed he had planted it himself;
• An interim inspection, which revealed several illegal immigrant families were living in a two-bedroom property, including one in the attic.
Hotel-style dry cleaning and laundry service launched
Too busy to keep up with the washing and ironing? Help is at hand for OM Property Management’s residents across London who are to be offered a new on- site laundry and dry cleaning service. The move comes after a successful three-
month trial, which has seen special collection lockers installed at four of OM’s London developments. Residents’ laundry is picked up by mobile dry cleaners LaundryRepublic and returned either 24 hours or three days
later, giving residents access to hotel-style convenience in their own homes. The service has proved so popular that at one
of the trial locations in Farringdon Road, East London, more than a quarter of residents signed up for the service immediately and an additional locker had to be installed mid-scheme to cope with demand. “LaundryRepublic is a truly excellent service and I’ve been raving about it to my friends and anyone else who’ll listen,” said Robert Hamilton who lives at Farringdon Road. “For people who are really busy but want to have their clothes well looked-after, it’s the perfect answer.” Feedback from residents using the
service has been so positive that OM is now considering offering the scheme across its developments throughout central London.
Make do and lend
It’s those little extras, like somewhere to safely lock up your bike or store those bottles for recycling, which put a smile on leaseholders faces. So why not boost community spirit in your block by taking on board a great idea we came across in a Canadian magazine – start a ‘loans cupboard’. This is a simple way of offering residents access to some
occasionally used items. It will save them some money and cut down on the storage space needed to store the items in their flat. Try including things like: • Tools & a drill • Wet and dry vacuum cleaner
• Jump leads • A blow-up bed • A card table • Barbeque equipment
• Inflatable paddling pool • Buckets and spades What a good idea! We all have
things we don’t use very often so why not let your neighbours borrow them. You could even include a logbook so that residents can book items out in advance. That way, if you want to borrow something and forget to bring it back, the item can easily be tracked down.
Camberwell Fire – we are still waiting
On 3rd July 2009 three women and three children died when fire spread through a block in camberwell, south london. 250 residents of Lakanal
House had to be re-housed following the incident. Delays in the inquest appear to have been caused due to the coroner investigating the fatal fire withdrawing due to a clash of dates with a separate inquiry. The role has since been handed to Judge Frances Kirkham, however, a date has yet to be set for the “super- inquest” to begin in earnest. To the side of the burnt-
out block is an identical block housing 98 families, overlooking the burnt out property next door. Without knowing what happened at Lakanal House, any of the fire risks and fire hazards that were in Lakanal House, could also be present in the neighbouring block. Southwark Council has
completed over 2,000 fire risk assessment and has allocated £19 million for fire safety improvements.
www.flat-living.co.uk 07
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