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Yet another rental home has been destroyed after an attempt to self-manage the property went wrong.
The most recent case in a series of self-managed landlords experiencing the worst a tenant can offer has occurred in Willowbank in Queensland, The Queensland Times reported.
According to landlord Gordon Lee, his property, which had been leased to a young family, was left in a mess.
Huge piles of garbage were left rotting throughout the house, walls had been punched in, carpets were stained and the fridge - turned off for weeks - was full of decaying food, he explained.
"I couldn't believe the destruction and mess that was left by these people," the 57 year-old told The Queensland Times.
"The bi-fold doors had been ripped out ... they had even uprooted the trees and plants."
According to Mr Lee, the property had only been rented for a few months and he had not asked for a bond.
"I didn't take a bond," Mr Lee said.
"That turned out to be a huge mistake ... I never suspected they would be capable of this kind of damage."
The problem with the rental property became obvious while Mr Lee was up north looking for work.
"While I was away, I had left the landlord responsibilities to one of my friends, who phoned me up one day to tell me the house 'was one hell of a mess'," he said.
"When I arrived to inspect it, the only thing worse than the sight of it was the smell.
"It has stuffed me up financially," he said.
"I've had to put the house up for auction and sell it at a loss.
"I don't think I have any chance to claim anything on insurance."
This comes just weeks after a Laverton home was left in a state of disarray, with broken furniture and debris scattered across the lawn of the house, a couch on the roof, and an ironing board hanging from a tree.
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