Rent Nomads | Rent Arrears | Damages

As a landlord, you are more or less frequently confronted with tenants who are unable or unwilling to pay. Cases involving so-called “rent nomads” have increased in recent years. For the police, such offences are of secondary importance, as identifying the perpetrators can be time-consuming and the prospects of success comparatively low. It is also unfortunately questionable whether, as a landlord, you will be reimbursed for outstanding rent payments and the costs of the damage incurred, since the perpetrators are often individuals, families, or cohabiting partners without financial means.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund cannot guarantee that you will be able to enforce your legal claims for damages or unpaid rent; however, our Dortmund detectives are pleased to assist you in locating disappeared perpetrators and identifying assets that may be subject to attachment: +49 231 8401 0065.

Case Study from Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

The Krüger family (all names changed) owned a small house on the outskirts of Dortmund. Their children had already grown up and moved out, so the couple decided to convert and let the attic floor. New electricity and water lines were installed, a fitted kitchen integrated, new internal doors and an apartment entrance door fitted, transforming three former children’s or teenagers’ rooms and a large bathroom into an attractive two-room flat. A young couple, the Schneiders, soon became tenants. Both were employed and out during the day; in the evenings there were no wild parties, but rather genuinely pleasant tenants who moved in during November 2014.

Suddenly Withheld Rent Payments

After about four months, the Krügers no longer received rent. When asked, the young couple requested understanding, as Mr Schneider had allegedly lost his job. Yet no payment was made the following month either, supposedly because the employment office had not yet completed its calculations and therefore no unemployment benefit had been transferred. The Krügers began to feel uneasy, but they initially remained patient.

Hammering and Sawing in the Owners’ Absence

Unfortunately, the Krügers had booked their holiday six months earlier, shortly before the Schneiders moved in. With an uneasy feeling, they set off in May and returned two weeks later from a cruise along the Norwegian coast. They had asked the Schneiders to empty their letterbox during their absence and were surprised to find it almost overflowing. They entered the house, and Mr Krüger went straight to the attic flat to speak with the young couple, but no one was present.

Shortly afterwards, the neighbour from next door rang the doorbell and asked to speak with them. He reported that over the previous two weeks he had had to call the police on four occasions because loud music and “DIY noise” had been coming from the Schneiders’ flat late at night. The entire neighbourhood had been woken. However, it had been quiet for the past five days. The Krügers feared the worst.

Access to the Flat via Locksmith: Rent Nomadism Revealed

Over the following days, the landlords repeatedly attempted to contact the young couple, without success. The mobile number they had provided was apparently no longer active; no one was in the flat, and no rent had been paid. The Krügers contacted their solicitor, who promptly obtained a court order to open the flat. When it was unlocked by a locksmith, the Krügers were horrified: the new fitted kitchen had gone, as had the internal doors. The carpeting had been removed; even the washbasin, bathtub, and shower tray had disappeared. The remainder of the flat looked as though a bomb had exploded: piles of refuse sacks, rotten food remnants, and empty beer bottles on the floor. When Mrs Krüger saw the contents of the toilet bowl, she was physically sick. Total damage: approximately 45,000 euros.

The perpetrators had vanished without trace. Would the Krügers have to renovate the flat entirely and bear the costs themselves? No. They engaged the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund to locate the missing tenants and, within two weeks, their new residential addresses in Witten were identified. Consequently, the Krügers were able to assert their legal claims. An agreement was reached providing for repayment in instalments over 60 months.

Note

In order to preserve discretion and protect the personal rights of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been altered beyond recognition.