I'm hoping to get some advice, moral support or guidance on what seems to be the biggest loophole I can imagine coming at me from several angles. I'm an accidental landlord, I moved for a job and let out my property, all was fine, I used managing agents, had landlords insurance did all the right things then I got some unusual tenants. To say they trashed the place doesn't really adequetly describe the situation, dog feaces under them bed, lifted laminate flooring through water damage, electrc sockets damaged and damgerous, full house of furniture destroyed physically and through contamination (the check out clerk was actually physicall sick), dirt ingrained so badly that bleach and scrubbing didn't yield any results and the carpets were so think with dirt (some tenants bodily fluids and some of thier canine) that the whole place had to be stripped out to the bear bones, holes in walls etc. It wasn't a problem getting access to the full deposit, it was a no brainer. But what about the actual cost of damage, an additional £16k at current rate of progress beforereplacing any furniture)? well its got to be covered right? Option 1 - Fully managed property, seek remedy from te letting agent? Apparently not, I have to take them through court(£30k-£40k so not an option, I cant afford it) so option B to the lettings ombusdmen, well apparently this process can be frustrated, thus unless I can get through the letting agent complaints proceedure to final decision stage - the ombudsman wont look at the claim - argh!! Option 2 - landlords insurance - apparently, and you'll love this, it can all be classified as fair wear and tear, blatently its not fair war and tear but then I have to demonstrate accidental damage or malicious damage, so apparently it can be neither, i.e. I wasn;t there at the time so how can I determine thier motives right? maybe its just an accumilation of wear and tear or heavy wear and tear! I'm being twisted in circles by definitions and lack of apparent legal support becuase simply put I cant afford it. Did I mention if I challenge thier definition they tell me not to get upset and that I'm twisting thier words! Option 3 - bill the tenants for the extra stuff - based on the stream of financial default post at the property I know this is a thankless task So how can it be that I thought I had done the right thing, paid an agent to fully manage, paid for proper landlords insurance and yet there are so many loop holes or grey areas that I seem to have no rights and a massive financial cost that I cant afford to remedy the situation. How can it be possible that the tenants got through the referrencing stage by the letting agent? they claim thier have no liability for this process. I'm not some loaded landlord, its one house that I cant afford to sell (underwater) and desperately need the income to support my cost of living (in London fo work reasons). I cant afford legal fees and I have a full time job and kids to look after which means I dont have great amounts of time to write letters and argue, oh and in between I've had to repair the place, its totally exhausting, stressfull and I'm struggling to get support. So my plea for help, anyone had a similar siuation? can they share thier experiences with trying to be treated fairly and any advice on how to persuade an insurance comapny and managing agent to step up and behave like decent businesses? At the moment I seem to have no rights, can't afford to pay experts, I have no experience in climbing this hill and I'm dealing with people who defend off these types of financial claims for fun/living etc with no sense of ethical standards. Any advice welcome