Letting agents and landlords are being advised to be wary of letting to a tenant named Jerome Baker who is allegedly running a rent-to-rent scam in the London area.
Our sister publication Landlord Today last week warned about Baker's company Rent Sparrow and now another of Baker's victims has come forward.
The landlord and her husband claimed they rented a two-bed flat in East London to Baker on January 14. He signed an AST containing the standard no sub-letting clause but went on to sublet the property to three students. The students were under the impression Baker was the owner of the property.
The real landlord became aware of the situation thanks to a very observant building management team, and their letting agent explained the situation to the student tenants.
Having paid Baker a month's rent and month's deposit, they refused to leave until their payment was used up, eventually leaving on March 13. As soon as they left Baker himself moved in.
He is now refusing to leave until April 13. He knows that on April 14 he will be two months rent in arrears and the courts will evict him, said the landlord, He brazenly told MLH (the letting agent) that he wasn't paying any rent and that they had six weeks' deposit and that he would settle the two weeks outstanding when he leaves (obviously we don't believe he will).
Landlord Today attempted to contact Baker via his Rent Sparrow company but he was unavailable and did not return the call.
Comments
This is precisely the type of arrangement that will be happening all over the country if the Government implements its ideas published in the last budget red book page 53. They intend to make it illegal for landlords to prevent subletting.
yawn yawn happens all the time. these subletters are all the same, don't touch them with a bargepole. There's one operating in South London under the name of Matt Chowdhury/Roy Zohar under Mazal Trading Ltd. I hear that a few people have been stung already, don't be next!
Waw i can't belive he would do that... How can a man like that live with himself... Thanks for the heads up.