My brother-in-law died and the police broke down the door of his flat. His landlord is now claiming from his estate for the damage to the door and redecorating the room. He also immediately removed all my brother-in-law’s possessions. Can the landlord claim this money, and can we claim against the landlord for removing the property?
I’m afraid the landlord can put in a claim for compensation for damage to his property, although this would normally be taken out of any deposit your brother-in-law paid. It’s unlikely, depending on the tenancy agreement, that he could claim for redecoration, so if there was a deposit you should insist that it is at least partially repaid. You should insist that your brother-in-law’s possessions are returned, although if the landlord hadn’t removed them immediately he would have probably charged extra rent.