very unhappy ex landlord

Never have I walked into a rental flat and been so appalled by the state of it as I was when I walked into this one. The saddest part is that it was my flat. The tenant had been living there for four years and in that time, my curtains were ripped to ribbons, the sofas were so disgustingly dirty that two sets of cleaners could not salvage it. The headboards were ruined, the washing machine door was broken and fixed with prattley putty and broken again, the shelves in the fridge and the tv remote were missing, the kitchen cupboard door was off and put to the side, the carpets were vile, pots and pans rusted through with gunk, ceiling yellow from smoking, the list go on I won't bore you. For years I paid the agent to look after my interests, under the impression that it was their job to do the occasional check in. Clearly this did not happen so what exactly was I paying for. I was told the old tenant paid a double deposit but it was not double, I was also told that I gave them permission to release the deposit which I most certainly never did. The deposit does not even nearly cover the damages. Be very careful in choosing them as your managing agent or be sure to only rent out your flat unfurnished because they did not look out for my best interests even though that was what I was paying them for.