Pee and poo everywhere – the tenant destroyed the house

Jessica Andersson and her mother Petra Törnudd decided to rent out the house they own together. But it turned out to be an expensive plan.

– The person who was going to rent was so trustworthy and nice. He had a good income, so I never thought for the life of me that he would do this in his house. Who would think that you let dogs pee and poop all over the house?, says Petra Törnudd.

Reported to the county board

In mid-February, the man moved in with his dogs. In March, the neighbors started raising the alarm that the animals were not doing well. The man went to work and left the dogs locked up. But the reports to the county administrative board led nowhere, according to Petra Törnudd.

– They blame the fact that they are so overloaded, she says.

When daughter Jessica went to the house last summer, she smelled an unpleasant smell and chose to terminate the tenant’s contract early. A few days ago, they entered the house – and got a shock.

– The dogs have peed and pooped indoors, on furniture, floors and walls. There was a terrible stench when we entered, says Petra Törnudd.

Moved around a lot

In the same vein, Petra called former landlords – it turned out that the man had lived in a large number of places in recent years.

– He has destroyed in the same way, and been thrown out of previous residences.

Now it remains to try to clean up and restore the house.

– We have to tear up all the floors and walls. The inner ceiling must be taken down, it is tiles that have absorbed the smell of pee. The dogs have chewed up electrical sockets and cables to the elements, they could have died from the current. Moldings, walls and the door lock – everything is torn to shreds.

Petra estimates that the cost of restoring the house is several hundred thousand kroner.

No protection in home insurance

Although the daughter reported to her insurance company that she was going to rent out, the company believes that there is no protection against the destruction caused by the tenant.

– We have also tried to report to the police for vandalism, but they say that we cannot report to the police as he rented the house. The only thing we can do is go to court and demand money for compensation for the damage he caused, says Petra Törnudd.

With several insurance companies, you can take out additional insurance when you rent out your home. Via the supplement, the landlord can, among other things, insure himself against damage caused by the tenant. But – in most companies’ terms and conditions there are exceptions for damage caused by animals.

Petra Törnudd and Jessica Andersson with daughter

Petra Törnudd and Jessica Andersson with daughter

Photo: Private

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