A LANDLORD has shared her nightmare experience of renting out her Bournemouth property which culminated in a lengthy eviction process and the house needing major repairs.

Jenny Darroch had to spend thousands of pounds in a legal battle to evict the tenants.

When she finally got the house in Northbourne back earlier this month she was stunned to see the disgusting conditions throughout the property.

Bournemouth Echo: The state of the house in NorthbourneThe state of the house in Northbourne

The home was infested with flies and rats, there was widespread water damage and various items and rubbish were left sprawled across many of the rooms.

She now faces spending tens of thousands of pounds to get the property back in a suitable condition.

'Destroyed'

Ms Darroch told the Daily Echo her landlord experience had been "awful" and much of the property had been "destroyed".

"If the council want private landlords to let their properties out they should ensure the proper checks and precautions are done," she said.

Bournemouth Echo: One of the roomsOne of the rooms

"Landlords are not all bad. I let the property out to try to do a good thing."

Ms Darroch decided to rent the address under BCP Council's landlord incentive scheme in summer 2019 as she wanted to support social housing supply.

This involved the property being let through agents Homes4Let, a business operated by East Boro Housing Trust until March last year.

Ms Darroch said Homes4Let failed to take references and damage was caused shortly after the tenants moved in.

Bournemouth Echo: A full fly paper hanging from the ceiling at the houseA full fly paper hanging from the ceiling at the house

Both the agents and Ms Darroch were unable to gain access to the property for safety reports to be completed and to carry out repairs, while the council's housing enforcement threatened her with action if she did not fix some of the damage.

After a multitude of issues, she finally had enough in late 2020 and served notice for the tenants to vacate the property. This was delayed due to Covid.

Problems with ending the tenancy continued and the landlord finally secured a court order for eviction more than a year after she decided to serve notice.

"Councils and letting agents need to support landlords and make sure the checks are done," added Ms Darroch.

"I am so frustrated about what has happened to the property, which was once my own home."

Bournemouth Echo: The garage at the propertyThe garage at the property

East Boro Housing Trust sold the Homes4Let agency last year and Whites of Bournemouth took on the role as agent of the property.

Ms Darroch said Whites had done all they could to support her but they were limited in what they could do due to the law.

"Most social tenants are absolutely fine," said Ms Darroch. "I just think that the system is wrong, especially with the way it has been dealt with by the council and the housing association."

She confirmed she would never consider letting the property again.

A East Boro Housing Trust spokesperson said: “East Boro Housing Trust is the former operator of Homes4Let but sold the agency in March 2021.

“We’re currently carrying out a review into the issue around the address so we’re unable to comment further until that is complete.

“In the meantime, we’re keeping in regular contact with the landlord about the process and have agreed that we will let them know as soon as we’ve concluded our review.”

A BCP Council spokesperson said it could not comment on specific cases, adding that it provides a dedicated landlord liaison service where support is provided to landlords regarding a range of aspects of tenancy management.