Here's a good example of how it's possible to have your house wrecked and be out of pocket even if you are a careful landlord.
This family are in today's Mail on Sunday (can't find a link to it, maybe available tomorrow) with photos of the disgraceful way they left their rented property (urinating in every room) when the landlord evicted them over rent arrears.
It's highly unlikely that he will recover either the unpaid rent or damages to the property.
Cllr Cathal Crowe got the house for them and was apparently shocked at the mess it was left in when they moved out.
It can happen to anyone and did happen to us some years ago in London. A couple and their adult son renting our property stopped paying the rent and it took us 3 months to get an eviction order through the courts. Then another month for the baliffs to eventually set a date to evict them.
When they left, they smashed the furniture, slashed the matresses and threw the stuffing all over the house, left a skip full of rubbish in the attic, another skip full of rubbish in the back garden, carpets dirtied beyond even professional cleaning, drains blocked, food thrown up the walls in the kitchen, hall, living and dining rooms, etc. etc.
Needless to say, they left no forwarding address and their deposit wasn't worth a fraction of the damage done.
It cost us a fortune to have the rubbish removed and the house cleaned, on top of 5 months loss of rent, plus solicitors and court fees for the eviction.