Help - Tenants Did a Runner!

baybeejuice on 18/09/2025 - 22:31
Last edited 19/09/2025 - 21:14 by 1 other user

Our tenants put in notice to vacate and when we went to inspect the property it was left with furniture, food, personal belongings, carpet trashed, overall bad conditions, cockroach faeces and just dirt everywhere from ceiling to floor to outdoor.

They apparently left the country (according to a phone call from their friend to our agent). They were also behind in rent. We are heartbroken and it will cost a fortune to remove their rubbish, furniture and get the place back in a condition to rent again, including cleaning and repair. We have landlord insurance. But our insurance doesn't include cleaning and furniture removal etc.

Any advice, tips, please please help 🙏. Surely these people can't just get away with this? What if they're still in Australia? Can NCAT help? What can I do to prevent them doing this to other people in the future? Or if they come back to the country, they would be flagged until this is resolved?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • askbargain on 18/09/2025 - 22:33
    +16

    Just think about the capital growth your property will have in a few years!

    askbargain on 18/09/2025 - 22:33 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • DontNeedThis on 19/09/2025 - 11:18
      +13

      Yeah, negative gear and enjoy!

    • fredblogs on 19/09/2025 - 13:11
      +6

      Not if it's an apartment

  • Far Cough on 18/09/2025 - 22:36
    +64

    Document everything, claim the bond, and apply to NCAT for cleaning/repairs, unpaid rent, and disposal orders, you can also list them on tenancy databases (TICA/NTD) to prevent future rentals.

    • boomramada on 18/09/2025 - 22:51
      +44

      And lodge a insurance claim 😊

    • baybeejuice on 19/09/2025 - 00:22
      +4

      How can NACT help if they have "left the country"???

      • life is suffering on 19/09/2025 - 09:12
        +6

        The only weapon that Colombians used - extradition

      • 7ekn00 on 19/09/2025 - 09:19
        +23

        Do you have proof of "left the country"?

        It's a lie - wake up :/

        • Fredfloresjr on 19/09/2025 - 09:51
          +2

          Yeah OP saw on Instagram story

      • drfuzzy on 20/09/2025 - 16:30
        +3

        If they are on a boat then Trump can bomb it

      • Franc-T on 21/09/2025 - 18:21
        +1

        Their "friend" said they did - didn't mean they did, could be a lie for lots of reasons.

    • Dr Phil on 20/09/2025 - 12:22
      -7

      Welcome to Australia OP

      And our governments are always looking to provide more protection from tenants?

      Why?

      Its the landlords that need protection the way I see it.

      A tenant puts up 4 weeks rent as a bond then can literally do this.

      The tenants risk is in fact ZERO!

      The landords risk an entire property.
      In Sydney the average apartment is now worth about $967,000 and an averge house is $1,500,000.
      And the poor landlord is probably paying a huge mortgage as well.

      What OP has posted is not uncommon unfortaunately.

      Poor OP stands to loose thousands even after claiming the entire bond.
      The cost of cleaning, repairs, replacements, unpaid rent and loss of rent whilst getting the place back to an acceptable state.

      OP does have landlords insurance but even that doesnt cover OP's losses

      • Secret ID on 20/09/2025 - 19:27
        +3

        Not sure why all the neggs!?
        I'd like to know which part of what you've said isn't making sense to people.

        • happy1923 on 21/09/2025 - 13:23
          +1

          Although I wasn't one of the people that negged, I agree with the sentiment. Landlords are 'risking' it after reviewing bank statements, salary slips, past references and a month's deposit. How much deposit do you keep for a rental car?

          Landlords are in the business of renting apartments, be it one investment property, or a massive portfolio. They have insurance for exactly this reason.
          With all the negative gearing going on, the rent clearly isn't what's making them money.

          Although the situation may not be uncommon, it is definitely not the norm.

          • Secret ID on 21/09/2025 - 15:03

            @happy1923: Considering the value of the car compared to the value of a rental property, car deposit works out to be much higher.
            Also, there's usually $2k-4k insurance claim excess if your damage the car. We don't see that for landlords do we?

            Based on the negative gearing logic, the OP and all other landlords should just not worry about their property getting trashed and tenants chucking a runner.

            • happy1923 on 21/09/2025 - 18:12

              @Secret ID: Cars are depreciating assets. A trashed car will sell for even less.
              A trashed apartment or house will sell for the same price after repair.
              Based on the comment, repair costs are in thousands for a place worth a million, so <1% loss.

              I'm not saying they shouldn't worry about their property. They should review rental history, employment details, past NCAT claims from the significant number of applications they get, and choose a tenant wisely.
              And if their tenant still does a runner, since this is a business/investment and those things can sometimes make a loss, so take out landlord insurance to mitigate the risk.

              The part of the comment that doesn't make sense is that landlords don't simply take 4 weeks from a stranger on the street, and 'risk an entire property' makes it sound like it's a write-off.

      • Shutterfish on 20/09/2025 - 20:48

        Well said!

      • Seni0r El Cheapo on 20/09/2025 - 22:28

        Well said. Sad reality.

      • Cordless on 20/09/2025 - 23:28
        +4

        The tenant's risk is homelessness? These people now have zero references for the next place they need to rent, and four weeks for someone who lives like this is probably a lot. Sounds like they have mental health issues or something else preventing them from living a productive life.

        Might as well say that people overdosing and dying in a public space have no risk and the public fronts the cleanup. Anyone doing this is at the absolute bottom ebb of society and a landlord might lose some percentage off their gains for that year.

        • JIMB0 on 21/09/2025 - 08:45
          +6

          Maybe they should have thought of that before trashing the place and using mental health as an excuse.

        • Secret ID on 21/09/2025 - 14:51

          No landlord would kick their tenants out just for the sake of it and make them homeless if they're paying rent on time and keeping the property clean and tidy.
          Landlords aren't running mental health institutions or rehabs.

          And everyone's going on about "that's why you've insurance" as if it's a Slurpee dispenser at 7-Eleven where you just rock up as you please, pull the handle and the problems go away.
          Neither it's like your typical car insurance where someone rams you and you're off to buying an new car with the payout.

      • Goremans on 21/09/2025 - 13:15
        +3

        Ive been a fantastic tenant all my life, 20yrs of rental history. I dont doubt there are assholes out there. But protection for tenants needs to be balanced for people doing the right thing.

        More housing supply would help everyone. Sucks for OP. I would be going back to the real estate - clearly they didnt get a very good pool of tenants to choose from.

  • CodeXD on 18/09/2025 - 23:28
    +24

    What can I do to prevent them doing this to other people in the future??

    I take it you don't have/you are the property manager?

    Do regular inspection of the property, at minimum every 6 months.

    • EightImmortals on 19/09/2025 - 06:45
      +23

      "They apparently left the country (according to a phone call from their friend to our agent)."

      Or get a better agent. When was their last inspection? Or maybe the grubs trashed the place in a short amount of time?

      • mapax on 19/09/2025 - 07:21
        +51

        Plot twist - the property already had a cockroach infestation and that’s why the tenants fled and left everything behind…

        • serpserpserp on 19/09/2025 - 22:37

          Plot Twist - tenants still live there, just went on holiday. Sounds like the condition of my house after a big night in

    • iguana on 19/09/2025 - 20:35

      My rental has an inspection every 3 months.

      • Poor Ass on 20/09/2025 - 11:53
        -2

        It was trash on the first day after inspection

      • freedomofspeech on 21/09/2025 - 22:01

        Haven't had a single inspection in 2 years

    • Dr Phil on 20/09/2025 - 12:28
      -8

      You obviously dont have any experience with property management (same with those that upvoted you)

      What happened to OP cannot be predicted nor prevented with any amount of what you have stated.

      The tenancy laws are heavily in favour of the tenants and those laws allow this to happen due to the heavy contraints put on landlords.

  • JIMB0 on 19/09/2025 - 00:16
    +24

    One furniture is bad enough, but a whole house of furnitures? That’s next-level plural. Any damage besides the Grammer

    • ihbh on 19/09/2025 - 07:08
      +3

      or from a hammer.

    • tenpercent on 19/09/2025 - 07:12
      +16

      Kelsey Grammer's grandma is shocked by the grammar.

    • Dslrfirst on 19/09/2025 - 09:29
      +3

      as is "notice to vacant".

    • afah0447 on 19/09/2025 - 09:38
      +3

      Hey…leave my furnitures alone! They never did anythings to them!

    • Dr Phil on 20/09/2025 - 12:35

      Thats was totally uncalled for.
      OP has suffered heavy losses and you bag poor OP out?

      • JIMB0 on 20/09/2025 - 14:48
        +2

        Settle down Dr Phil, AmazingOne, HeWhoKnows, you’ve had more rebrands than OP’s had furnitures and not one of them has been accurate. Surprised you didn’t just reply to the first comment like usual.

  • screensaver on 19/09/2025 - 00:38
    +28

    Our council does a free booked furniture removal, just have to put it out on the kerb. Remove the carpet and replace with an easier to clean surface like tiles or lino or floorboards, This is a tax deduction, and claim depreciation

    • foxmulder on 19/09/2025 - 00:42
      +8

      This. Book with Council fast as they are not available anytime.

    • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 00:55

      Hold on, as unfair as this seems, you can't just dispose of other people's crap. It will have abandonment issues!

      Seriously, the unethical have rights too. Just because they do illegal/dodgy stuff doesn't mean the harmed party gets to also do dodgy stuff.

      There are laws about the disposal of property left behind and a whole heap of it about how to deal with abandoned property.

  • bunkr on 19/09/2025 - 01:16
    +34

    I would not trust word of "friend".

    Proceed will all necessary reports to NCAT and elsewhere as advised on this forum.

    If they are really gone, it will help you when you claim insurance or tax deductions or whatever. If they do turn up, you have all necessary paperwork to start proceedings against them.

    • Eeples on 20/09/2025 - 10:09
      -1

      *adviced

      :/

  • elgrande on 19/09/2025 - 07:09

    The property makes it messy, there may be steps required before you simply dispose of it.

  • tenpercent on 19/09/2025 - 07:11
    +30

    It sounds like the property manager wasn't doing their job.
    In addition to making use of council hard rubbish collection, claiming the bond, lodging with NCAT, claiming insurance, etc as others have suggested, I would also look into legal advice about how you can hold the property manager to account for not doing the job you paid them to do.
    The property manager should have been conducting routine inspections per the tenancy agreement to catch any signficant cleaning or damage issues long before it got to the state you are describing. They should have also been chasing unpaid rent and proceeding with eviction after just a couple of weeks unpaid.
    I assume you've already fired the property manager?

  • stickingly on 19/09/2025 - 07:41
    +15

    At least they gave notice to vacate. This happened to me, except that they didn't give notice, which meant that I couldn't even go in and start cleaning up without getting a possession order from VCAT, which took ages. Make sure you check the law - you aren't allowed to just go in and start chucking out their stuff.

    Unfortunately you will be the one who will end up losing here.

  • pegaxs on 19/09/2025 - 07:57
    -8

    Wow, time for the weekly “I’m so poor and this will cost me money” landlord rant already?

    This is the type of thing you have insurance for… you did have insurance, didn’t you? And the rest is either a tax deduction and/or some elbow grease.

    • sandman20104159 on 19/09/2025 - 08:44
      -2

      yeah im a renter and i do not bother contacting my landys or real wanky agencies to get things fixed, i pay for it myself, i hate dealing with landys and real wankys. a part of me is loving this, and the other half is annoyed as it will just jack up price

    • knobbs on 19/09/2025 - 09:21
      -4

      Did you read op? Literally states they have insurance and won't cover it all.

      With attitude might as well hope someone crashes into your car you use to get to work, insurance won't cover it and we laugh at you when you come here to ask for advice. Just apply some elbow grease it will get those dents out

      • ripesashimi on 19/09/2025 - 10:12
        +12

        Dude the car you use for work is not an investment, you are not gambling your car. What they did was wrong but using everyday asset as an example is silly.

      • pegaxs on 19/09/2025 - 11:00
        +2

        might as well hope someone crashes into your car you use to get to work

        How the (fropanity) is this even remotely related to OP's situation? Your analogy is bad, and you should feel bad. That is my car, not a car I am "renting out" that I can just write off on tax…

        (fropanity) me, landlords certainly are a whingy bunch of (fropanity). "Wahhh, money printer stop go brrrrr…"

        Also, "username checks out…"

        • knobbs on 19/09/2025 - 11:32
          +9

          How the (fropanity) is this even remotely related to OP's situation

          You missed the point entirely. Doesn’t matter if it’s a car, a house, or a toaster — if someone damages your property, it’s not suddenly “deserved” just because you own it. By your logic, if I rent out my car on Car Next Door and someone trashes it, I should be thrilled because, hey, “money printer go brrr.”

          You and the rest of the people that automatically have it out for this person just because they have an investment property have no idea. Funny how it’s suddenly different when it’s your stuff. But nah, if it’s a landlord, then vandalism is a spectator sport and we all clap. Totally consistent.

          • ThithLord on 19/09/2025 - 12:19
            +3

            @knobbs: Nah, your analogy is just bad

          • Beef jerky time on 19/09/2025 - 12:31
            +6

            @knobbs:

            You and the rest of the people that automatically have it out for this person just because they have an investment property have no idea. Funny how it’s suddenly different when it’s your stuff. But nah, if it’s a landlord, then vandalism is a spectator sport and we all clap. Totally consistent.

            "All investments carry risk" (except for the Australian housing market apparently, where people just assume that they will make money forever and there are no downsides).

            No one said they deserve it and no one is cheering for the shit tenants (well, except that one guy). But maybe if their insurance doesn't cover it, and they decided to take on an investment property anyway, maybe they should own the risk not paying off and deal with it, rather than looking for "outs" on a bargain forum.

            • knobbs on 19/09/2025 - 14:01

              @Beef jerky time: I agree with everything you have said, apart from them looking for 'outs'. I may have mistook the OP request but I see them looking for advice on what to do, not looking at how to dump this on someone basically.

              If you take a look at pegaxs post history he comments on most if not all LL posts, putting down LLs as basically the scum of the earth. I know it is the internet but I really can't understand these people that just shit on a LL because of a decision they made to invest in property.

              • Beef jerky time on 19/09/2025 - 14:55
                +1

                @knobbs: @knobbs Sometimes your investment goes negative. This is one of those times. Except the OP doesn't seem to see it like that. See: "heartbroken" comments - they probably treat it as if it's their house and not an investment asset. It sounds to me, and probably most people here, that they're looking for a solution that doesn't cost them money. The optics on having a cry about having to deal with one of the known risks of this investment and doing so while so many are struggling to pay for somewhere to live at all is what is causing the negative sentiment here.

                • knobbs on 19/09/2025 - 16:25
                  +3

                  @Beef jerky time:

                  The optics on having a cry about having to deal with one of the known risks of this investment and doing so while so many are struggling to pay for somewhere to live at all is what is causing the negative sentiment here.

                  May be the case, but pegaxs has been on this “landlords deserve it” crusade long before the current cost-of-living crisis. It’s just an overall sheltered view of the world.

                  Reading OP again, yeah, they might be a bit emotionally involved — but who wouldn’t be? Knowing the risks doesn’t make it easier when you’re likely in debt and someone causes thousands of dollars in damage. That feels very personal.

                  Market dips are one thing; they’re faceless, logical movements. Vandalism is a person or group targeting you directly. Different ballgame entirely.

                  Maybe IP isn’t the right fit if someone can’t handle that emotional hit, sure — but realistically you only need to avoid that 1% of renters/situations like this to get by.

                • meong on 19/09/2025 - 18:51
                  +2

                  @Beef jerky time: people work hard to get an investment property set up, and it could be a lot of work (sometimes DIY work) to paint, repair amenities to the right standard and they can be heartbroken to know their business is being trashed similar if someone properly designed a cafe to be appealing and suddenly some druggies break into it and trash the place, the cafe owner can feel heartbroken too and sometimes insurance doesnt cover all.

                  just because its an investment property and there are dodgy landlords out there doesnt mean they dont deserve to feel heartbroken on this.

                  who cares if its an investment property or a bus or coffee shop etc… having damages on your business asset doesnt mean the cost is zero just because it can be written off in tax. in fact, most cases you can only get a percentage of it back from tax.

                  if the damage is $1000 and you're on a 40% tax bracket then you get about $400 back on that expense to repair the damage so you are still $600 down.

                  FYI, i was a landlord too and i sold it due to damage caused by tenants and not wanting to deal with it anymore. i didnt intend to own an IP but i was in an indecisive housing situation and had to keep my previous property rented out as a future back up…

        • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 00:59

          I didn't know that real estate losses were 100% tax deductible?

          • meong on 21/09/2025 - 09:23

            @Muppet Detector: Yes it is… But it doesn't mean you have 100% of it back.

            What it means is that you have less taxable income for that year.

            So lets say your tax is 40% and if you make 100000 and you pay tax 40000

            After the 1k loss, you taxable income will be 99000 so your tax is reduced to 39600.

            The tax rebate will be 40000-39600. So you only get $400 back.

            FYI this is a simplified view. Tax rate vary based on your cumulative income. I just pick 40% as an easy number to use without using calculator. 😅

            Many people think that running business is the key to getting 100% tax deductible so the product are 100% free. But in reality they are only discounted and you still need to spend money.

            Most investment properties are operating at a loss due to the high interest rates no matter how high you increase the rent. Except if you're a boomer and already paid off most of your IP.

            Thats why they usually look to invest in properties that can appreciate so they can sell at a higher price later.

            However, for apartments or even town houses sometimes, the interest rate and running cost are so high you make no money when you sell them.

            Don't forget, rent doesn't even cover council+water rates, insurance.

            In my case however, my IP was the first PPOR i had. So, it was still quite annoying (maybe not heartbroken) one of the tenants trashed the carpet but eventually i got insurance to replace it.

            It's annoying cause i used to live in it and i had memories of how good it was when i left it.

            Luckily the next tenant was very clean which kept it in really good state when i sold it.

            • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 13:53

              @meong: Thanks. Ummm was trying to make the point that it's not the complete refund that a lot of people seem to think it is.

              • meong on 21/09/2025 - 17:53

                @Muppet Detector: oops! i was explaining to the wrong person i guess!

                • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 20:43

                  @meong: Nah, I see why you were explaining it to me.

                  I learned that to be polite when challenging someone's understanding of something, rather than outright contract them, to pose the challenge as a question.

                  I think the theory behind it was to prompt the other person to check their facts/understanding so they can get to the right information themselves.

                  Lets them save face so to speak.

                  Apparently, it only works in person where non verbal gestures and speech nuances are able to be recognised.

                  I'll work on another way to do better online!

    • Drpepper666 on 19/09/2025 - 09:54
      +8

      Yep this is why I have landlord insurance on all my properties. Tenants cannot be trusted.

      • Gareth on 19/09/2025 - 13:17
        +6

        To be fair, most tenants can be trusted.

        Like everything in life, though, there are some scumbags which give everyone else a bad name.

    • Iwantthebestprice on 19/09/2025 - 21:11

      Wow what a complete tosser of a take. How about common decency and respecting people’s property.

      The landlord provided a house for these tenants to live in.

      I hope one day your property (be it a house, car or tools) is stolen or trashed and you have the same attitude.

      You completely deserve it. Such a low life take. Stay poor.

      • pegaxs on 19/09/2025 - 23:36
        -4

        Lol. Yeah, sorry, all I read was;

        “I want to be angry too! You didn’t say the thing I wanted you to have said, so I am going to substitute what I wanted you to have said so I can be angry at that instead!”

        At no stage did I say what the tenants did was ok. Actually, I didn’t condone what the tenants did. In fact, I didn’t make ANY comment about what the tenants did to the house. You are literally angry at some shit you made up in your own head.

        “sUcH a LoW LiFe tAkE!!1! sTaY pOoR!1!!”

        Awwww… feel better now that you had your little tanty… over something I made absolutely no comment on… You are literally seething over something I made absolutely no reference too. 😂🤣

      • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 01:11
        +2

        The landlord provided a house for these tenants to live in

        No they didn't. They temporarily sold their right to possession.

        Landlord here.

        OP, really sorry that this has happened to you but unfortunately, this is just one of the known risks you have to take into consideration when choosing to "operate this kind of business"/ "invest in this type of product"

        Sometimes we come out in front, sometimes we suffer a loss and sometimes, breaking even is the best we can hope for. Hopefully, there's some kind of profit or benefit in the long term.

        Most businesses and/or investments come with some kind of risk. You now have first hand experience of one in rental properties. There are many more, so hold onto your hat!

        The upside of this is at least you have some insurance and hopefully a bit of bond money too.

        Hopefully you will have a better outcome with your next set of tenants.

  • Stealtho on 19/09/2025 - 07:57
    +29

    Happened to me, sold all 3 IP's. People can be scum these days. (not all) .Tradies a nightmare to deal with.
    Life is much better just owning PPOR.

    • BigBirdy on 19/09/2025 - 09:38
      +8

      Unless you thrive on stress, this is the way to go

    • cainen on 19/09/2025 - 15:37
      +9

      Better off just buying ETFs.

    • Bidet Mate on 21/09/2025 - 05:41
      +2

      sold all 3 IP's

      Don't usually condone people's shitty behaviour but in this case it seems like the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I hope OP and all other literal-rentseekers find selling IPs to be the best course of action. IPs do not benefit society at all.

      • DangerNoodle on 21/09/2025 - 13:12

        How do IPs not benefit society? Without any investment properties, there would be nowhere for people to rent. There's around 31% of Australians that are currently renting. Scarcity is what causes prices to go up and less rental properties without a reduction in number of renters will just cause more problems.

        Plus, superannuation also invests in property as part of your investment portfolio for growth.

        As crappy as the rent hikes have been, my partner and I can afford to rent a 2 bedroom property for $500 per week that is 20 minutes from the city, but we wouldn't be able to afford the $1300-1400 per week in repayments from purchasing the same property on a loan with 5% deposit (those loans have some pretty nasty interest rates). I'm not saying I enjoy being a tenant, but short of a total system reset, I don't see prices magically dropping down in value to a price I can afford.

        The issue isn't the existence of investment properties. It's more to do with the unchecked rate of inflation.

        • ferry594 on 21/09/2025 - 18:47

          It's kind of an opportunity cost thing. You buying an IP means you're both pushing the marginal demand for housing higher (thus, higher house prices), and starving other sectors of the economy of capital that could be used for actual innovative purposes.

          In other words, the money you put into an IP would be much better off for the economy at whole going into something like shares, a business or even sitting in a bank account (where they might lend it to a business).

          Houses are not productive assets, they don't do anything. They exist, and that's it. Businesses produce and innovate (and bring down inflation when their innovations lead to increased productivity).

          • DangerNoodle on 21/09/2025 - 19:41
            -1

            @ferry594: Whilst not being productive assets, they provide housing to people that can't afford to purchase properties and would otherwise be homeless, which can be more detrimental to societal contributions.

            These housed individuals may contribute to society and the economy as they may be in a location to fill a role/occupation that was not being adequately filled by the local population. And whilst it may not be as big of a contribution to society as investing in a business, there is some trickle down economics from the maintenance and repair, as well as paying property managers. I would imagine that the funds themselves would also go back to the bank as loan repayments, and these repayments would also contribute towards the bank staff wages and the bank can still repurpose this money towards further lending and investing. Whilst they may not have actual innovate purposes, they do serve some purpose.

            In the case of build to rent properties, I would imagine there would be notable trickle down economics involved as well as tradies from many disciplines would be paid during the build stages and that money would be trickled down through their expenditures as well.

            It is a delicate balance of supply and demand, but there are a lot more factors that would affect the pricing of houses than just individuals buying investment properties. In the condition of the market as it is, we just need more supply overall for both investors and owner occupiers as a more availability on both sides would drive down rents and property values.

            Whilst it would be great to live in a world where property was affordable to the point where everyone could own their own properties, that ship left the port a long time ago. Hopefully a price correction is on the horizon.

            • tenpercent on 21/09/2025 - 22:27
              +2

              @DangerNoodle: Ahh the old trickle down economics schtick.

              Maybe more people would afford to purchase properties if there were fewer investors.

              • cnut on 22/09/2025 - 11:39
                +1

                @tenpercent: Trickle down economics is one of the biggest lies fed to the masses.

                You’re spot on about the cost. We’ve turned housing, a basic human right, into a way for people to make more money. That’s pushed prices up and now people are deluded that they are helping renters not be homeless.

  • Pumpkin_rrr on 19/09/2025 - 08:00
    +2

    Looks like you have an Agent and Landlord Insurance. That's comforting.

    I can answer all your questions, and so can your Agent. Theres a lot there but nothing uncommon.

    I'd suggest you calm dow, take a deep breath, let us know the answers from your Agent, that you're seeking clarification.

    One thing I've learned with Investment Property: treat it as business and not too get emotional. Ditto with Tenants.

  • Dollar General on 19/09/2025 - 08:20
    +2

    The joys of being a landlord unfortunately

    You need to establish if they are still in the country otherwise no point pursuing. Just take the bond

    Who’s going to flag it in a system if they return to Australia? That only occurs in the movies

  • H4nd0 on 19/09/2025 - 08:20
    +10

    If you have not done so, contact your insurer first and get them to advise on how to proceed. Many Landlord Insurances, on the proviso you have the building insured with them, will cover the cost of cleanup. For example, PIP Landlord Insurance covers the removal of debris, loss of rent due to tenant default, and during the cleanup period, and repairs. Once you have the place cleaned up:

    • Review your insurance and make sure you have adequate cover
    • Fire your agent. They are not doing their job. You should have been having 3 or 6 monthly inspections, which would have picked this up
    • When ready to rent, fully vet the applicants yourself. Unsurprisingly applicants lie and agents don't give a damn
    • When you have approved the new tenancy, have 3 monthly inspections for the first year.
    • sandman20104159 on 19/09/2025 - 08:46
      +5

      yeah piss the real wanky agency off and just do it yourself, i had a wonderful years of renting directly from the landy, no stupid annoying calls or emails from real wanky agents over stupid matters. we looked after the place like it was ours and the landy left us alone. it was awesome!

    • Muppet Detector on 21/09/2025 - 01:20
      +1

      When you have approved the new tenancy, have 3 monthly inspections for the first year.

      My advice is to have 90 day (or maximum permitted in your state) for the duration of every tenancy and more frequently during periods of vacancy.

      Tenants tend to be on good behaviour for the first twelve months. It's as they start to get comfortable, collect more stuff, or experience changing circumstances over longer terms when the wheels really get a chance to fall off.

      The flip side of this is you (the owner) get a chance to keep an eye on emerging or ongoing maintenance issues that your tenant may not realise or even be aware of to report to you.

  • JimmyF on 19/09/2025 - 08:39
    +8

    We are heartbroken and it will cost a fortune to remove their rubbish, furnitures and get the place back in a condition to rent again, including cleaning and repair.

    Welcome to running a investment property business. Its not all cream, sometimes there are ups and downs.

    We have landlord insurance. But our insurance doesnt include cleaning and furnitures removal etc

    Next time you should tick the boxes that covers these things.

    Any advice, tips, please please help

    Change your insurance, put all the furniture on market place for free pickup. Get a cleaner in. Move on with your life.

    • ThithLord on 19/09/2025 - 08:52
      +4

      OP obviously felt it was not prudent to spring for tenant abandonment add-on insurance for their 100s of thousands of $$ investment.

      Siri, play Cry me a River by JT

    • life is suffering on 19/09/2025 - 09:15
      +8

      Nothing indicates here that Op was a bad landlord. Don't be prejudiced

      • LFO on 19/09/2025 - 10:15
        -2

        when we went to inspect the property

        This might indicate a bad landlord. Far too personal.

        • Randxyz123 on 19/09/2025 - 10:37
          +2

          This might indicate a bad landlord. Far too personal.

          Eh?

          Our tenants put in notice to vacate and when we went to inspect the property

          FTFY

          LL went to inspect after the tenants were gone. Not all LLs are slumlords. For all you know the OP might have been swinging by to check if any maintenance needed doing before reletting the property…

          • LFO on 20/09/2025 - 11:56
            -2

            @Randxyz123: .
            And they illegally enter the property whilst casually "swinging by".

            And carrying all duplicate entry keys whilst casually "swinging by".

            It doesn't add up …

        • tonka on 20/09/2025 - 15:19
          +1

          You don't think the owner is allowed to attend their vacant property? Wth

          • LFO on 21/09/2025 - 19:58
            -1

            @tonka: It is not clear if the tenant legally left/vacate the dwelling. And if they had/have a Rental Agreement at all.
            OP uses "put in notice to vacate" so it is not clear what and when happened.

            A Notice to leave (vacate?) does not entitle entry.

            Besides, getting directly involved implies getting far too personal.

            Would an owner of 20 dwellings do that?
            Would an owner residing in another place do that?

            Far too personal.

            • tonka on 21/09/2025 - 20:07
              +2

              @LFO: I think it's fair to assume the OP is being transparent saying the tenant gave notice to vacate. Then they went to inspect, as is required when tenant vacates.

              And it's their property they can go camp in it if they want. There's no such thing as too personal for a vacant property they own.

              Would owner of 20 units? Yes very likely.
              Would an owner residing in another place do that? How's that even relevant, of course they live somewhere.

              Can't be too personal, it's their possession, they don't need to pretend it's not.

    • ReaperX22 on 19/09/2025 - 10:07
      +10

      I'm also a renter.

      4 landlords I've dealt with.

      First was a building owner really, pretty useless/they didn't care much (developer).

      Second never dealt with directly, only the agent (the correct way, IMO) - no major issues, quick to respond, only real issue was next door were HEAVY smokers and no real rules around common area smoking etc, ultimately left for health reasons

      Third - were owner/occupiers, left us a gift bag and their mobile, were lovely, stayed there over 5 years/throughout covid. Quick responses from agent, only talked to LL occasionally/for old mail etc but sent/received a nice thanks/goodbye msg to/from them as well.

      4th where we are now. Owner is an older boomer, loves to self-fix, but isn't very good at it. Property is definitely a 'she'll be right' type of situation. Initially only dealt with him for all the issues despite raising it in the rental app - was mostly ignored by the agent (funnily, that particular agent no longer works for the agency), and the one who we talk to now is lovely/understanding. Have a good relationship with the LL but it's been a frustrating experience being a DIY person for all the issues they neglected in the first place. Had to raise like 10 requests… made me feel like we were being a burden. But things just didn't work/were non compliant/mouldy etc.

      TLDR; YMMV. Hoping for bad things to happen to people doesn't help anyone. There's good and bad LL's, good and bad tenants. The system is broken, not necessarily the people taking advantage of it (though I would prefer if such people would then at least be a little less cheap about things and remember that they're providing a HOME for someone to live in, and it should be properly maintained and up to date best as reasonably possible - I shouldn't have to be asking for 12L flush cisterns from early 90s to be replaced in 2025, especially when we pay for water use. Thank f for the March rental laws requiring 3 star minimum cisterns so they had to replace them)

    • wetsandwich on 19/09/2025 - 16:35
      +2

      If you're a renter, wouldn't you want the reputation of renters as a whole to not be dragged down by the delinquents in this story?

    • Iwantthebestprice on 19/09/2025 - 21:12

      I hope you can’t find a future rental property with that attitude. Might change your tune very quickly when you’re living your car with your family.

      Stay poor mate.

    • Ughhh on 20/09/2025 - 09:16
      -3

      What a bitter jealous poor guy take.

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