Footballer sued by landlords

Published: 17/08/2013

Premier League footballer, Andy Carroll, is being sued by his former landlords for close to £200,000 after he allegedly caused severe damage to his former £2m luxury pad.

Landlords Jeff and Dawn Grant claim the former Liverpool player caused £123,000-worth of damage to their Blundellsands mansion including leaving drink stains on chairs and the ceiling, unlawfully removing furniture and infesting the 12-metre swimming pool with algae. They also claim the striker owes £68,000 in unpaid rent.

Solicitor and Head of GW LET, Rob Denman, comments:

“While the level of alleged damage in this case is somewhat extreme, the crux of this story highlights a common problem for landlords.

“Letting property does come with a degree of risk and damage caused by tenants is definitely near the top of that list. That is why landlords do everything in their power to firstly, try and prevent such a situation from happening and secondary, protect themselves in the event that it still does.

“There are a number of ways you can achieve this. Take a thorough inventory of your property before your tenants move by taking photos of its current state. Establish good communication with your tenants and make sure you include regular property inspections in the tenancy agreement. Take out specialist landlord insurance which provides cover against any damage caused by tenants.

“And finally protect the tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme. If you don’t you could lose your right to retain the deposit regardless of any damage and could actually give the tenant the opportunity to claim compensation against you.”

Content correct at time of publication