I have had the same tenant for 10 years. Until October 2020 he always paid his rent on time, he never bothered me, I never bothered him. He never asked for anything, I just left him to it. Every year I asked him if he wanted to renew his AST for another year and he said yes. He has now stopped paying rent and disappeared. His rent is now 3 weeks late and he does not respond to my daily texts, emails, WhatsApp and phone calls. For the first time in 7 years I visited the flat (it's a small studio flat in London. I live in Birmingham). He was not there. The neighbours told me that they had heard alarms going off in the flat so I considered I was within my rights to enter the flat and make an emergency safety check.
The flat is completely full of garbage, mostly bottles, cans, food wrappers, etc, up to head height. The bathroom is destroyed and obviously hasn't been used for years. (There are numerous 2 litre Coke bottles full of urine amongst the garbage.)
His AST agreement expires on Dec. 21st 2020. His rent was due on Oct 22nd - I sent him a reminder on Nov 3rd and at the same time asked him if he wanted to renew his AST for another year. No response. Obviously, now that I have seen the state of the flat - it is basically wrecked - I want him out of there.
With the help of the police, I have found out that my tenant is now staying with his parents in the north of England. He has mental health issues. He is still not responding to my messages and may not be capable of doing so.
What can I do? Obviously, I want him out of there. Can I just not renew his AST (after Dec 21st) ? On what legal grounds can I not renew it? Should I have given him 2 months notice that I was not going to renew it? Can I refuse to renew it on the grounds that he has broken the terms of the AST, ie keeping the flat in good condition, hygiene, not reporting maintenance issues etc. (I found a leaking pipe under the garbage so the whole hallway is sodden).
Any advice much appreciated.
The flat is completely full of garbage, mostly bottles, cans, food wrappers, etc, up to head height. The bathroom is destroyed and obviously hasn't been used for years. (There are numerous 2 litre Coke bottles full of urine amongst the garbage.)
His AST agreement expires on Dec. 21st 2020. His rent was due on Oct 22nd - I sent him a reminder on Nov 3rd and at the same time asked him if he wanted to renew his AST for another year. No response. Obviously, now that I have seen the state of the flat - it is basically wrecked - I want him out of there.
With the help of the police, I have found out that my tenant is now staying with his parents in the north of England. He has mental health issues. He is still not responding to my messages and may not be capable of doing so.
What can I do? Obviously, I want him out of there. Can I just not renew his AST (after Dec 21st) ? On what legal grounds can I not renew it? Should I have given him 2 months notice that I was not going to renew it? Can I refuse to renew it on the grounds that he has broken the terms of the AST, ie keeping the flat in good condition, hygiene, not reporting maintenance issues etc. (I found a leaking pipe under the garbage so the whole hallway is sodden).
Any advice much appreciated.
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