‘It’s just filthy’: Landlord’s nightmare as South Coast home left in squalid state

Mr Matterson said the mess left in his Lakeview Drive rental property was enough to make him sick.

The house was littered with more than 40 bags worth of general rubbish including broken furniture, old mattresses and a huge amount of used kids toys.

On top of this carpets were stained, holes were punched in walls and doors had been broken off their hinges.

“It was just filthy, I don’t understand how people can leave a place like this,” Mr Matterson said.

Mr Matterson estimates that the damage and clean-up, including tip fees, will cost him anywhere between $7000 and $10,000. 

Because of this, he said he will never be renting out his home again. 

“This is one of the reasons we have this rental shortage, it’s one of the reasons people are hesitant to rent their homes out to strangers,” he said. 

Mr Matterson admitted that in hindsight it may have been better for him to go through a real estate agent to ensure all the checks were in place but said that tenants leaving a home in a squalid state was not uncommon even with qualified property managers in place. 

Trent Pool from Merimbula Realty said that while this does happen it was definitely not the norm. 

“I would say that 95 per cent of tenants are really good and leave the property in a great condition the other five per cent may cause headaches but that’s why we’re here, to manage that.” 

Steve Haslam from Sails Real Estate echoed Mr Pool’s views saying that potential landlords should always rent their home through an agent.

“Anyone who manages their own property knows the risk and I don’t feel sorry for them,” Mr Haslam said. 

Mr Matterson has since moved back into his Lakeview Drive home but is now warning others against opting to rent their home privately. 

“It’s not worth the risk, this does happen and I have spoken to carpet cleaners and handymen and they all said they see this on a regular basis,” he said.