‘Rogue’ tenants who owe £282 million

Landlords can be victims too, says TV show
Mira Bar-Hillel18 July 2013

Landlords are owed £282 million in lost rent and property damage, a BBC programme reveals tonight.

While many have been labelled “rogue” for their ruthless treatment of tenants, the TV documentary shows that landlords can be victims too.

Property expert Paul Shamplina, of Landlord Action, has been helping landlords with problem tenants for more than 25 years and helped criminalise squatting in private homes. He said: “Over the years, our experience of professional bad tenants has been plentiful, often evicting the same tenant from more than one property.

“Although in the minority, this type of tenant has the intention of preying on vulnerable landlords in order to live for free. And, as many tenants rely on housing benefit to pay the rent while the Government is looking to cut the

£26 billion housing benefit bill, more and more tenants will not be able to cover the rent, and both them and their landlords will be the losers.”

Ana Rabrenovic let her three-bedroom house in Catford to raise income. Her agent went bust taking her deposit and when the tenant stopped paying rent, she was desperate. As the tenant went into arrears Ms Rabrenovic could no longer afford to pay her mortgage and was reduced to selling at car boot sales. By the time she got possession, she had lost more than £7,500 which she has little hope of recovering.

A woman who let out her West Hampstead home to housing benefit tenants failed to get a response when she wanted to move back to London to get her children into school before September. Even after she won a possession order, the tenants were allegedly advised by Camden council to stay put until a bailiff came or they would not be re-housed. She finally got her house back on July 10, but is £16,000 out of pocket for rent arrears. The tenants went straight to the local town hall to be re-housed. The landlord said: “The whole ordeal was horrendous”.

Mr Shamplina said: “We are seeing more and more situations where tenants have fallen on tough times and remain in properties out of desperation and because they are told that they must await physical eviction to qualify for rehousing.”

Meet The Landlords, BBC1, 10.35pm

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