A landlord was horrified when he found a 'gigantic' boa constrictor among mounds of rubbish after his 'nightmare' tenant finally moved out.
Landlord Phil Tewkesley, 47, claims the tenant - who he battled for months to evict - bragged about being an animal rescuer who boasted about how well he took care of his pets.
Phil claims the family used the Covid pandemic as an "excuse" to refuse him access to inspect the property in Kendal, Cumbria for the past two years.
But when they finally left - after allegedly not paying rent for six months - Phil was stunned at what he found beneath the mounds of litter and "junk" at the property.
Under the mountains of trash were four snakes - two dead and two alive - as well as fish, bugs crawling across the carpet and even a scorpion and tarantula.
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Shockingly, the 'tenant from hell' is believed to be an animal lover who has previously spoken out against abandoning snakes.
He had previously rescued a boa constrictor and stated that it would be 'well looked after' - which is believed to be the same snake found left in a tank in his former residence.
In the past, he had even publicly urged people to take reptiles to rescue centres if they can't 'manage' them, but the RSPCA were forced to step in and rescue two live snakes as well as removing the other dead exotic animals.
The landlord has now shared shocking footage of the trashed home and abandoned reptiles in a bid to raise awareness of the issues faced by landlords, particularly through Covid.
Phil, from Worlsey, Greater Manchester, said: "It was unbelievable, the sheer volume of not just belongings but actual rubbish and food.
"I've never seen anything like it in my life - it was like a rubbish dump with a roof on it.
"The neighbours said they were hoarders - they got deliveries every day and never threw anything out.
"There was mould growing from the carpet and it was full of urine, mealworms - you name it, it was rotten.
"There was also evidence in a number of spots of rodent damage and a bit of an infestation with holes gnawed through places around the house.
"The daughter's room was the worst - my partner Lisa cleared that and had to run out of the house heaving and retching numerous times because of the stench of urine.
"I saw this huge tank and it was dirty. I looked a bit closer into the tank and got the shock of my life - there was this gigantic snake curled up.
"I was terrified, I screamed and ran out of the house because the shock of seeing something like that was unbelievable."
Phil issued a formal notice for the tenants to vacate the bungalow upon his return to the UK in late 2020, after living and working abroad for six years.
But the couple, who lived in the property with their teen daughter, didn't leave for another year, even allegedly refusing to pay rent for the final six months.
The landlord was only able to regain access to his property, in December 2021, by having a locksmith burst and change the locks after neighbours informed him they had seen the tenants move out.
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Phil, an HR manager, then made the grim discovery that the entire three-bedroom and one-bathroom house was piled high with rubbish and housing both dead and live exotic animals left behind by the couple.
After the shocking discovery, Phil phoned the RSPCA and left a spare key with the neighbours, allowing them to come and collect the 'gigantic' snake the following day, 31 December.
Due to the discovery of another live snake as well as two dead snakes and other dead exotic animals - including fish, scorpions and a tarantula - the RSPCA officers called the police, who sent an officer to witness the recovery of the animals.
Once they were removed, the locks were changed and the tenant was given a month to remove the rest of his belongings before the clean up could begin.
It took the landlord, his partner Lisa McCartney, 40, and some friends around 54 stomach-churning hours and almost £2,00 to clear all of the rubbish, rip the soiled carpets out, and chuck it all in a skip.
Phil added that it is going to cost "tens of thousands to get it back to how it should have been".
Phil owned the property since 2011 and used it as a holiday home before moving to Australia in late 2014. In August 2020 he was forced to move back to the UK after being made redundant.
He gave the tenant six months to find somewhere else, which he felt was "fair" after longer tenancy notice periods were introduced during Covid.
He set the vacation date for April 2021, but knew something was wrong when an application to release capital from the bungalow was rejected due to its condition.
By the move deadline of April the tenants said they still weren't ready to leave and even stopped paying rent in June that year, despite continuing to live in the property for further six months.
During this time the couple also continued to refuse access to the property for an inspection.
After being rejected for any compensation by his insurance, he hopes to raise awareness of how he feels there needs to be more support for landlords against 'rogue tenants'.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "We can confirm that four snakes - two sadly dead and two alive - were removed from a property in [Cumbria] by the RSPCA following a report from a member of the public.
"The live snakes were rehomed at a specialist boarding facility.
"As there is now a live investigation, we are not able to provide any further information at the moment."
The tenant acknowledged the house was 'a state' but blamed not having his boiler serviced, a family member's illness, issues with his shower and central heating for the mess.
He bemoaned the landlord being 'rude' to him because the council couldn't find suitable accommodation for them and claims the animals were only left because the locks had been changed.
When quizzed on the number of dead animals in the property, the tenant said they were 'a lapse' and that he was 'still grieving' for them. He claimed there was no tarantula [see image 11 for alleged tarantula].
Cumbria Police confirmed that an officer attended the incident and supported the RSPCA.
