Landlords left to clear up mess
When Val Douskova walked into her Heathridge rental property on Friday, the horror she faced brought her to tears.
Smashed windows led to a living room strewn with rubbish and rotting food, the kitchen was covered in rubbish and there was a stench of urine.
The damage, she said, could only be "caused by animals".
Egg yolk dribbled down bedroom walls and obscene graffiti directed at her husband covered almost every wall.
It had been three months since the couple she let the home to under a private agreement had paid rent.
The mess they left when they finally left last week was the final insult to Mrs Douskova and her husband Arnost Dousek, who face a $20,000 damage bill and lost about $5000 in rent.
"I was feeling disgusted," Mrs Douskova said of finding the mess in the Martinup Court home.
Apart from a few missed payments, she had few problems with the family who moved in in 2012 with up to five children. But, in December, they stopped paying rent.
The owners then spent three months trying to evict the family before a court order was issued last month.
Days before an order to physically evict the family, they fled, leaving the filth and damage.
Mrs Douskova wants to find the couple and force them to pay for the mess she says will take weeks to clean up.
The couple identified themselves on the lease as Jeff De Florenca and Marit Johansen.
The owners have found a string of unpaid utility bills, including an electricity bill for more than $4000, under different names, including B Jeffreys and Jane Johansen.
The property is insured but only for some unpaid rent and a fraction of the damage.
Family and friends have helped clear some of the mess but Peter Dousek said it would still cost his parents thousands.
"This had been a massive part of their retirement," he said.
Former Property Owners Association of WA president Adam Bettison said about one in 20 tenancies ended in hostility and unless the tenants had assets debt collectors could seize and a fixed address, it was unlikely they could be forced to pay for the damage.
"There are millions of dollars of unclaimed debts against tenants because they have no fixed address and no seizeable assets," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact tt@7perth.com.au
