Police were forced to make entry into a rented cottage in Stafford after neighbours reported hundreds of flies in the windows. Upon arrival, officers discovered the reason for the flies: maggots. The tenant, who has been described as a “tenant from hell”, had placed maggots in the house, which had hatched in their hundreds.
In addition to the maggots, the tenant had caused thousands of pounds of damage to the property. Doors were glued shut, the oven was sealed, and both upstairs and downstairs windows were also glued shut. The property owner and landlord, Peter Nuttall, arrived on the scene with fly spray in hand, shocked at the destruction and devastation caused.
The tenant has a history of causing problems for the landlord and neighbours. A few weeks prior to the maggot incident, they had snuck into the property in the early hours, pulled electrical light fittings off the ceiling and left them all over the lawn, along with around 60 used tires and a heap of clothes. The neighbours had also called the police about the behaviour numerous times.
Despite the overwhelming evidence and photographic evidence, the police have not taken any action to hold the tenant accountable for the damage and destruction caused to the property. Nuttall, who had always believed in the legal system to protect good people and punish the bad, is disappointed that justice has not been served in this case.
Sim Sekhon, managing director at LegalforLandlords, said: “This case might be shocking but, unfortunately, it isn’t as rare as you might think. We see plenty of cases where the landlord is left poorer in both time and money, which, sadly, is no surprise when in some areas landlords are forced to wait months for a hearing while issues worsen and the bill to rectify damage creeps higher and higher. It’s a hugely stressful situation to be in. We need robust measures to support landlords to regain control of their properties, with speedy legal recourse via the courts.”
