Naked tenants, basement brothels and maggot rain
When a company specialises in 24/7 property management support, it’s got to be ready to handle pretty much anything, as can be attested to by Adiuvo, whose managers have, on more than one occasion, received tenant requests that have caused them to pause and say, wait, what?
Adiuvo has now pulled back the curtain on some of the most outrageous, eyebrow-raising, and downright gobsmacking callouts they’ve received from tenants across the UK, from misbehaving wildlife to alleged subterranean scandals. All of these are 100% real.
Troublesome tenants
Naked Truth
The report: “A police officer is requesting keys to allow a resident back into their flat. The resident appears to have taken drugs and is completely naked.”
Sometimes, a night out leads to unexpected places, but remember, if you’ve lost your clothes, you’ve probably lost your house keys, too!
Help, there’s a brothel in the basement!
The report: “A pit has been dug under the property and it’s being used as a brothel. It’s flat 29. I can hear everything.”
When you’re invited to spend some time in a brothel pit, there’s only one answer you should give. Nevertheless, building management is never straight-forward, and this one was particularly baffling. Authorities were informed, and an investigation was initiated.
Rooftop Rave Ruckus
The report: “There’s a loud party on the roof with a DJ. There are portable toilets in the car park, and plenty of drug use going on.”
When there’s a rave upstairs, there’s invariably misery downstairs. Luckily, an out-of-hours response team is always on-hand to coordinate with building security and local police if required.
Wildlife mishaps
Maggot rain (not for the faint of heart)
The report: “There’s a squirrel infestation. They’ve died. Now there are maggots falling through the ceiling into the living room and master bedroom.”
Isn’t nature wonderful? This one required an immediate call to pest control, deep cleaning, and probably a support group for the traumatised resident.
Frozen swan lake
The report: “There’s a swan stuck in the ice at the lake in Japanese gardens!”
Is it a wildlife rescue or a property emergency? Either way, our team coordinated with the appropriate animal welfare services and got our icy friend the help it needed. It’s always nice to have a Japanese garden in your building, though.
Imprisoned parrot
The report: “There’s a trapped parrot in the neighbouring building. I think it’s stuck inside a vent.”
How do you free a trapped parrot? No, that’s not the set-up to a joke, it’s something the Adiuvo team actually had to figure out. Thankfully, the parrot was eventually freed and totally unharmed.
Snake in the building
The report: “There’s a snake in the building!”
No further explanation necessary. Sometimes a simple report demands an incredibly swift response.
A dead fish dilemma
The report: “There are dead fish inside the fish tank.”
Some landlords go above and beyond to create a unique living experience for their tenants, and property managers have to be equipped to deal with the unexpected issues that can create.
Colin Stokes, Founder and MD of Adiuvo, commented:
“Being a property manager who is available and on-call 24 hours a day means that you’re going to come face to face with some fairly unusual and unexpected things.
When a promise is made to be on-hand for anything, it really has to mean anything – Even if that means maggots falling from the ceiling. But no matter how extraordinary or stomach-turning a tenant’s problem is, the property manager must always remain calm and professional.
While these stories from our archives may sound unbelievable, they reflect the reality of 24/7 management and why it’s so important to be able to deal with property issues without delay.
Something like a faulty light switch can wait until morning, but basement brothels can’t afford a delay. We’ve even had calls reporting a murder, but in this case, it really should be the emergency services that are your first port of call, not your property manager.”
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