We kept their deposit towards our costs, and I'd previously written him a letter detailing those costs, to make sure we got to keep the deposit, so he didn't get away with it completely. I just don't rage at people. We don't want bricks through the window in our absence.

Besides, we took a lot of the issues up with the letting agent, who took the view that after 13 years we shouldn't expect the kitchen to be any good. I disagree, but apparently it's subjective and unreasonable to expect tenants to look after things the way we do at home. They said most landlords would replace a kitchen after that time anyway.

We've kept it civil the whole time. I haven't written off court action, but I do plan to ask him to pay for the odour treatments we've had to buy to try to get rid of the cat piss smell. We don't want the whole thing getting violent or sabotaging the sale of the house.

I hope his next rental has a better managing agent. They'd have been out in months if I'd personally been keeping an eye on the place.