Mablethorpe landlord's horror as property left in '˜appalling' state

The tenants, who occupied Aavi Lillepa’s Harris Boulevard property, were given a court deadline of December 17 to vacate.

Mr Lillepa, 55, claims his tenants ‘scarpered’ at 2.30 in the morning and left his property in complete and utter disarray.

“I’ve been a landlord for many years now - 10 to 15 at least,” explained Mr Lillepa.

“I’ve always been a good landlord. I have a few properties in my portfolio and I’ve never let anyone down.

“When they first moved into the property, it was understood it would be occupied by one parent, a mother, and a child.

“She was very thankful when I handed over the keys.”

After sweet beginnings, Mr Lillepa said things took a turn for the worse.

He claims that as time went on, there were as many as five children, two other adults and several pets occupying the property.

Mr Lillepa alleges this was in breach of the tenancy agreement.

He also claims that neighbours to the property have ‘suffered a two-year ordeal’ due to disturbance and noise.

Despite this, Mr Lillepa maintains he has upheld his end of the bargain.

He said: “Six months ago, the tenant called me to say there was a problem with the boiler. I sent someone out the same day to take a look and spent £700 replacing it.”

He also alleges the tenant was in arrears on her rent but, being a ‘soft touch’, he gave her time to catch up.

However, upon leaving two weeks ago, he says she owed £3,000 and abandoned the house with broken widows, rubbish everywhere and abundant dirt and faeces.

Mr Lillepa said: “I can’t even put into words the filth and mess I found on entering the property.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“It was the first time I’d been physically able to access the property in months.”

“The floor was so littered deeply with rubbish and other items that I had to physically clear a walkway to access through the house.

“I found four dirty cat litter trays in the shower.”

“I’ve been quoted £2,500 just to clear the property.

“The most unbelievable thing about the whole situation is that until recently this property was inhabited in this state.”

Mr Lillepa said he doesn’t feel there are sufficient services in place to support landlords like him.

This comes after he approached East Lindsey District Council for advice, but was told nothing could be done.

He said: “All you seem to hear is that tenants have rights but there must be a cry for help from landlords that isn’t being answered.

“My children’s inheritance is now being spent on fixing this mess. It’s just not on.”

The Leader spoke to East Lindsey District Council about Mr Lillepa’s case.

A spokesman said: “Our Housing Team was made aware of this situation after the tenant had vacated the property.

“As the tenant is no longer in the property, we’re unable to provide any assistance.

“Unfortunately, as a landlord this is a risk that comes with renting out a property.

“Had we been approached earlier by either the landlord or the tenant we could have offered advice and assistance to try and overcome any difficulties.

“We would recommend that landlords regularly maintain contact with their tenants and carry out property inspections from time to time.”