A decorator had to clean up £2,000 worth of damage after a 'tenant from hell' deliberately covered their flat in graffiti when they were evicted by their landlord.
Simon Moore said the call out was the 'worst residential job' he's ever taken on, having rocked up to the two-bedroom flat in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, last month to find signs of 'revenge' scrawled all over the walls.
After the tenant allegedly stopped paying rent for several months, the landlord is said to have battled a lengthy eviction process.
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But before the 'nightmare tenant' left, they angrily left their mark - covering various walls, ceilings and even windows with graffiti, including a large 'F*** you' artwork believed to be targeted at the landlord.
According to Moore, the 'clever revenge' damage ensured the tenant could inflict maximum financial loss to the landlord without damaging any of the property's fittings or flooring, in turn meaning they could avoid committing criminal damage and the possibility of being prosecuted.
He said: "The landlord said there was a lot of graffiti and asked if we could sort it.
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"When I saw it I was just like 'oh my God' - they did give me a picture first so I knew what to expect but it was still a shock.
"It was the worst residential job we've had. Normally it's just dirty marks on the wall but this was another level.
"I think there had been an issue with the tenant not paying rent and so they put the graffiti on the walls because they were evicted - that was their sort of comeuppance.
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"They've done a good job because they've not done any damage to any of the fittings - they've not got any paint on the bath, shower, kitchen units or carpets which is quite an achievement considering the amount of paint they've used.
"You think 'why did they take that much trouble?' but they've done that so it's not criminal damage - it makes it a civil matter rather than a criminal one, which is very clever."
Along with bold smiley face designs in black paint, the flat had also been defaced with a mushroom, a gothic Alice in Wonderland and giant caterpillar, along with a hot pink Cheshire Cat theme in the bathroom.
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However, the centrepiece was a bizarre message sprayed onto one of the bathroom walls, which said: "Stand on my kids bed?! Run me over? F**k you!"
Moore, who is head of Bristol-based painting service Mendip Decorators said it took two workers five days to complete the job, and cost the landlord around £2,000.
Moore continued: "I knew what paint to use because we've done similar projects.
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"We did a commercial centre in Bristol where squatters had set fire to a caravan in the warehouse and done a lot of graffiti, so we had to cover up the damage and the graffiti.
"We knew we'd be able to do it but it took a lot - it took four coats."
Moore said he and the landlord were 'pleased with the results', but said the landlord is now looking to sell the property after the ordeal.
He claimed they are even planning to give up being a landlord due to the stress caused by the 'tenant from hell', and the financial losses of the missed rent and damages.
"I think they're going to sell it because I think they've had enough with the people not paying and then all the damage done," Moore added.
Topics: UK News
Jess Hardiman