1 August 2008, 08/175
House of horrors tenant evicted
A dirty tenant who left her Skelmersdale Council property
looking like a ‘house of horrors’ has been evicted and told by the
courts to pay over £10,000 costs.
37-year-old Julie Price has been ordered out of her house on
Heversham, Birch Green, after leaving it in a filthy, damaged state
that left both West Lancashire District Council and Police
"shocked" by the unliveable condition it was found in.
Piles of rubbish bags were dumped in the garden, along with a
sofa, mattress and other items. Inside the house, doors were
smashed and left off their hinges, rubbish and refuse was strewn
all over every room of the four-bedroom property.
Smashed
sanitary ware was found, kitchen units were wrecked and everywhere
had been completely neglected. The mess was so bad that the bill to
repair everything will come to almost £10,000.
At Wigan County Court on 24 July, the judge was told how Council
officers initially became aware of the poor state of the garden and
tried to work with the tenant but she refused to co-operate.
Despite officers obtaining a court order for her to tidy the
garden, she ignored it so the Council had no choice but to seek
possession of the property. While the Council was preparing its
case for court, the police managed to gain access to the inside of
the house and immediately alerted the Council because they were so
appalled by the condition it was in.
After reading the evidence and seeing pictures, the judge ruled
that Julie Price be evicted and that she must pay back the £9,915
for damages, which is the minimum required to be spent on the house
before it can be re-let to new tenants. She was also ordered to pay
£276.75 court costs.
Cllr Val Hopley, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "All
Council tenants are informed that it is their responsibility to
keep their garden free of rubbish and to look after the fixtures
and fittings inside their homes as well as reporting any defects.
Yet this tenant repeatedly ignored our help and warnings and left
the property like a house of horrors. It is not often that we evict
tenants because we always try to advise and provide help and
support. But in this case we had to take serious action. Until she
pays these damages, the money to repair the house will have to come
from the rents of the hard-working tenants who look after their
homes and keep to the terms of their tenancy agreements."
Related information
> Tenant
information
> General housing information
> Tenant and resident associations