The kitchen, where an unbearable smell is emanating, is overflowing with rubbish. Midi Libre – C. L.
Les locataires n’ont récupéré aucun de leurs biens. Midi Libre – C. L.
L’état de la salle de bain. Midi Libre – C. L.
Au sol, des restes de nourriture. Midi Libre – C. L.
Une propriétaire de Bagnols-sur-Cèze a bataillé pendant près de deux ans pour faire partir ses locataires qui ne payaient plus le loyer. La retraitée a récupéré son logement le 3 janvier dans un état déplorable où "une odeur pestilentielle se dégage".
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Opened cans piled on the furniture, dog droppings in the corners of doors, a plate of chips left on the floor, a cat litter box full of droppings, a kitchen counter covered in moldy food, waste everywhere… After two years of proceedings, Sophie got her apartment back, located on Avenue du Mail in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, in a pitiful state on Friday, January 3. “I had bought the apartment in 2004 to rent it out. At the time, I told myself that later it would allow me to have a more comfortable retirement.” The Bagnolaise, now 64 years old, had not planned to face this nightmarish situation: 23 months of unpaid rent, 1,600 euros in lawyer fees, 2,600 euros in bailiff fees and an unrecognizable apartment. Added to this will be a hefty bill to clear out “the mess” left by his tenants.“I want people to understand that there is a big problem in the way the State works. It is not possible to take two years to get my home back.”
Unpaid rent since February 2023
Sophie had nevertheless taken all precautions to avoid this kind of situation. “It was a family with two children. The parents had a very good record. He had two permanent contracts and she had one. They had provided me with the rent receipts for their old home. There was really nothing abnormal.” The family moved into the 75 m2 home in July 2020. For a year and a half, everything went well. The rent of 580 euros is paid on time. It is in February 2023 that the “first troubles” begin. The couple no longer pays the amount due each month. Sophie warns them of their delay but her messages go unanswered. “When I saw that things were going badly, I contacted their former landlord. He told me that it took him three years to get them out and that he had suffered a lot of delays in paying the rent.” The woman from Bagnolaise then understands that the receipts provided for the study of the file were false.
Tenants who no longer lived in the apartment
From there, months of proceedings ensued to recover her property. “On March 5, 2024, the Uzès district court ordered the eviction. On March 27, the tenants received a registered letter asking them to leave the accommodation before May 27, Sophie says. The tenant says it wasn't the right time because she had Covid, her husband had health problems and her daughter was taking her baccalaureate.” But, when Sophie receives the water consumption readings, she realizes that no one lives in the accommodation. “Since the second half of 2023, there has been 0 m3 of water consumed. This clearly showed that they no longer lived there.” The couple refused to leave the accommodation, claiming that the two children were in school in Bagnols.
Intervention of the bailiff and the police
The bailiff then made a request to the prefect to obtain the assistance of the police for the eviction. On October 28, 2024, the bailiff opened the accommodation and found no one inside. “The apartment is full of garbage, rubbish, waste, full garbage bags, he wrote in a report. There is a foul smell. The furniture left behind is crumbling under the rubbish bins. Plastic bags litter the floors of every room. We found empty bottles, canned goods, products, etc.” The bailiff had come to seize the furniture but “the goods visible under the rubbish have no value”, we can still read in the report.
Sophie then had to wait until the beginning of the new year to access her accommodation because, as the law states, after an eviction, the tenant has two months to recover his furniture. But the family has not given any news for “a long time”. The owner hopes to receive the €14,000 in unpaid rent. Once the apartment is restored, Sophie will put it up for sale to try to turn the page.
*Name changed, owner wishes to remain anonymous. I subscribe to read more