A landlord has spoken of his disbelief after being confronted with the barely believable state of his flat after a tenant moved out. Mountains of rubbish, takeaway boxes and even poo have been left covering almost every spare centimetre of the premises.
Lee Locking went to visit the flat after renting it out for the past five years and could hardly believe what he discovered, WalesOnline reports. Among the piles of rubbish were cans, bottles, clothes, rotting food and even cat poo.
The newspaper photographer who visited said they'd never been anywhere as bad in two decades of working in the industry. Lee claims the tenant even said he could keep the deposit in order to cover the mess, but he said he feels let down by the letting agents who managed the property, and claims they should not have allowed the flat to get as bad as it has.
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Lee, 56, is now faced with the unenviable task of trying to sort of the Swansea property and get rid of around four tonnes of rubbish left behind. Lee said: "Every single room is a state. I can't even go in without wanting to shower immediately after.
"When I first went to the property, I'd taken the dog with me. I opened the door and the smell just hit me. I took one look at the mess up the stairs and closed the door and put the dog back in the car, because there was no way I was letting the dog come in.
"I have no idea where the person slept. A neighbour said they saw the tenant take a mattress from the house and assumed it was being taken to the tip. After seeing the state of the property, I'm not so sure."
Every room in the property is piled high with mess. The kitchen includes jars of rotting food, a litter tray which is piled high with faeces, and empty cartons of milk.
In one of the other rooms, the floor is not visible, covered in bin bags, takeaway containers, Amazon boxes and clothes. The bath tub is full of cat faeces and is accompanied by a disgusting toilet.
Lee said: "It'll easily cost me a few thousand, I'll need to replace all the carpets, the kitchen, the bathroom. I've been told there is at least three to four tonnes of rubbish to clear. I'm at breaking point with it."
As Lee has no previous experience with renting, he decided to entrust the property to be managed by letting agents, John Francis. Lee says he feels let down by the company, and claims that they should not have allowed the flat to get as bad as it has.
A John Francis spokesperson said: "John Francis Lettings takes any customer complaint extremely seriously. We are in receipt of an official complaint from the landlord and which we are currently investigating. We will liaise directly with the landlord to resolve the issues."
