Cancer victim "conned out of £7,000 by agent"

A woman suffering from incurable cancer claims a lettings agent moved his own family into her property while she was working abroad, and still owes her £7,000 two years later.

Imelda Salajan, from Chelmsford, had been using Harlow-based Essex Lettings without a problem for a year starting in 2011. Then in early 2012 the firm told her a new tenant would be moving into her four-bedroom property while she went to Indonesia.

She then claims an Essex Lettings agent himself was seen by neighbours moving his own family into the property. Ms Salajan claims much of the rent remains unpaid, however. She says the agent repeatedly assured her at the time that this was a temporary problem, but his firm allegedly deposited only some of the rent with her, minus its management fees.

The Essex Chronicle says it is now thought that members of the family were living in the house until October 2012, during which time Ms Salajan claims they "absolutely destroyed the place" causing £3,000 worth of damage.

Ms Salajan, a journalist, has also appeared on the BBC's Rip-Off Britain programme, saying that Essex Police had advised her to take civil action against the agent, as the incident did not warrant a criminal investigation.

Now Ms Salajan says she is selling the property because she is no longer able to meet the mortgage payments. "I don't want anybody else to suffer what I have suffered" she has told the newspaper.

Meanwhile Essex Lettings has reportedly gone out of business.