KOTA BHARU – "A tenant from hell." That was how a couple described the condition of their rental home in Desa Kujid, Panji, after discovering it filled with cat faeces, food waste and rubbish when they opened the front door.
A nauseating stench greeted the couple as they entered the house, where they discovered the property was in a filthy state.
Housewife Nurul Farhana Saeidi, 36, said she decided to inspect the house after repeatedly failing to contact the tenant, a woman in her 20s, to discuss outstanding rental payments after allegedly being blocked on WhatsApp since last month.
She said after searching for the tenant for four days, the woman eventually returned the house key by leaving it on the window of the property.
She went to the house last Thursday and was hit by a foul smell upon opening the door, before discovering the interior littered with cat faeces, animal cages, leftover food containers and piles of rubbish.
"I was completely shocked and never imagined the house would end up like this. The smell was unbearable, there was cat faeces everywhere and there was even a water tank in the living room.
"All three bedrooms, the kitchen and the bathroom were filthy, while several doors were damaged. It was heartbreaking to see the house in such a condition," she said when met here on Tuesday.
Farhana said the house, which had previously been in good condition, had been rented to the woman and her husband since 2023 for RM700 a month, with a RM1,000 security deposit.
She said the tenants paid their rent as usual during the first year, but after several months they began making instalment payments that were below the monthly rental amount, claiming to be facing financial difficulties.
"I continued to be accommodating because they promised to gradually settle the outstanding rent.
"But after that, they became increasingly difficult to contact and neither phone calls nor WhatsApp messages were answered," she said.
She added that she had previously tried several times to locate the tenant, who was said to work at a restaurant in the district, to seek an explanation over RM4,500 in unpaid rent.
Farhana said the house now requires extensive cleaning before repair works can begin.
"I've already asked a cleaning company for an estimate and it will cost around RM1,000 just to clean up the mess.
"That doesn't include repair costs and damage to the house, which I estimate will amount to about RM10,000," she said.
Earlier, a video showing the condition of the house went viral along with a police report lodged at the Pengkalan Chepa District Police Headquarters.
"I have no intention of shaming her. I shared this to locate her so the matter can be resolved amicably.
"I managed to contact her through WhatsApp two days ago and I want her to take responsibility," she said.