Inventory clerks warn over sub-letting

Rising rents and too few affordable homes have created an army of tenants living in sub-let rooms unknown to agents or landlords, claims the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks.

The AIIC claims research by Direct Line shows 3.3 million people are unofficial tenants' - equivalent to one in every 10 rental homes. Three quarters of these have been sub-letting for more than six months.

We recently came across a three-bedroomed flat which we visited mid-tenancy as the landlord was concerned about the tenants. It quickly became apparent that up to 30 people were living in the flat - co-workers sleeping in shifts - when only one couple were on the tenancy says Pat Barber, the chair of the AIIC.

She says in that instance, there was so much damage to the property that it took £10,000 to rectify, with the landlord footing the bill.

This problem is growing. It's vital landlords and agents visit properties regularly to check that the tenants listed on the agreement are the only residents. At the end of the tenancy, landlords always change the locks if the property has been sub-let she says.

The AIIC warning comes just as Glasgow letting agency D J Alexander is telling its tenants not to succumb to the temptation of sub-letting their properties for the city's Commonwealth Games this summer.

A city newspaper reports that some one-bedroom apartments were being advertised for rent at £1,500 per night during the Games. The firm says sub-letting like this would be a serious breach of lease conditions and put the tenant at risk of losing his or her deposit.