UK Landlord Forum / Life

Ive had tenants trash the house.  It was in an appalling state.  The filthy dirt and grime was bad enough but they have damaged furnishings and walls and flooring and entire house had to be redecorated all five rooms and bathroom
I am not a proffessional landlord and made loads of mistakes.  I do not have pics from before they moved in and did not get them to sign the inventory. They have admitted to a few things that were entirely obvious but the bulk of the damage was discovered after they had gone.  I have got pics now but not sure what use they are
The £500 deposit (which goes nowhere near enough to cover work required) is being held by DPS as we are now in dispute
Is it even worth me trying to retain it all?
What I do have is letters regarding arrears in rent (separate matter being dealt with by the courts) Text messages from when tenant said they could no longer receive calls (this started when rent became overdue) many of these relate to complaints of damp though everyone who called said it was condensation and they were advised how to avoid this.  One builder who called noticed black all up kitchen wall behind tumbler dryer which had no extraction hose (They denied using it without ventilation)
Basically I have no 100% proof of anything except the pics which show disgusting filth and damage and maybe statements from workmen who attended if I can contact them and ask them to do this
I have a report from environmental health (who they called in)which confirms that it was condensation but states that it was not down to housekeeping skills as tenants had told him they always opened windows.  This is a lie but i cannnot prove it.  Have spoken to the environmental officer myself and he confirmed than nothing was wrong with the house but he had to include that statement as it was what they had told him
Tenants are obviously experts at this and dont care about anyone. A bailiff called looking for them while work and clean up was ongoing at house and masses of post coming through (some with court address on back of envelopes) so tenants must make a habit of running up bills trashing property then move on
Do I just give up now? Is DPS arbitration a bit like court proceedings ie tenants are guilty but doensnt matter cus landlord did'nt follow all the rules

I did a dispute and I got a fair bit back but that was for silly things compared to you. You can but try. You need to present as much evidence as you can and receipts.
Good luck !