Hello,
I received a message from my neighbours the day before yesterday asking me to call them regarding my property.
When I spoke to them, they told me that they were concerned that there was nobody at my property, or, that someone was hurt. I asked why - to which they said that all windows on the first floor were wide open and have been so for at least a week. They've not seen anyone entering/going away from the house for over a month.
Further to that, I haven't received this month's rent and I'm now nearly 3 weeks in arrears as per the contract (however, the tenant always paid me mid-way through the month - so far always on time). So, giving them the benefit of the doubt, I'd say 7-10 days in arrears.
I've tried calling ALL their phone numbers, emailed them, sent messages & called them on WhatsApp, and text messages. Not a single reply back whatsoever. In the past, when wanting to do the annual gas checks/certification - it was a nightmare trying to get hold of them. So, they simply do not respond to any attempts to contact them.
To complicate matters, the neighbours received a police calling card about a month back, requesting a call in relation to my tenants (someone in the family - husband, wife, 2 teenage sons). When the neighbours called the police, they had to leave a message and nobody called back.
The story gets weirder... the neighbours say that they've seen the tenant's car parked in our local pub's car-park for the past few weeks. I confirmed this yesterday and the car is indeed parked at the pub instead of the house.
From the ground floor bay windows, you can see that the lounge still has their sofas/etc in the room... so, they still have their belongings in the property.
The contract does have a Forfeiture clause stating that rental delays of 14+ days, or, any major agreement/obligation on the tenant's part is not complied with, I can re-enter the property and the Tenancy Agreement shall be terminated.
What can / should I do?
How do I gain access to close the windows and secure the property?
Will I be in the wrong if I gain access to at least close the windows?
How can I recover the rent?
Should I terminate the tenancy - am I in my rights to do so?
