I think it's fair to say the photos don't capture everything, and neither does the description. It was not normal - not even the tenants argued that in the end. They not only relinquished their deposit, but paid for urine treatments for the floor. The agent didn't think it was normal. No one thought this was normal. But they got off pretty lightly compared to what they were supposed to do before leaving based on the contract they'd signed when they agreed to look after it, keep it clean, and maintain good decorative order.

No other tenant has left the house in this shape before. We had to put sealant on the concrete floor to stop the smells of animal urine from rising, before we could lay new carpets. The animals, which weren't supposed to be there, had pissed all over the house and it had sunk into the floors. You can't photograph that, but you can smell it.

The kitchen, which was like new when they moved in, was completely trashed.

There was mould over the walls, which I didn't go on about or show the worst photos, because people like to blame landlords. But it's not the house - it's the fact that they hung wet washing up everyday, instead of using the tumble dryer. It created a damp and mould problem. Which wasn't there before they moved in, or since we cleaned up when they moved out. No one else has thrown greasy food all over the walls.

Maybe this is normal for some kinds of tenants, but it's not how we live, and we'd not seen it this bad before. It cost more to clean up than we made in rent that year. Plus work needed on the roof that they didn't report pushed that up to thousands in losses. We'd have got that fixed earlier if they reported it and it would have been cheaper.

It's not normal wear and tear. They hadn't done any cleaning since they moved in. It was horrible. There was dried up faeces in the cupboard under the stairs.

They were contractually obliged to return the property in the same good order in which it was provided to them, less wear and tear, and I guess that's where different standards kick in.

We've always cleaned and painted as part of the job. We redecorated the dining room before they moved in. It was a wall covering that was easy to paint over, for easy maintenance. They were contractually obliged to return it to us in good shape.

We expect to do a bit, but it's a question of what's reasonable, and what they should have done before they left.

Anyway, soon as someone wants to buy the place, we're done.