An MP says he will raise with local police chiefs a series of claims from landlords and tenants concerning a lettings agency which last year was wound-up.

Local media in Ipswich report that concern is rising over deposits paid to Jonathan Waters Estate Agents Limited (JWEAL) but which – apparently – have vanished. 

Pauline Scott Property Management (PSPM), which took over managing properties for the landlords after JWEAL agreed to be voluntarily wound up last August, confirmed the deposits were missing.

PSPM has reportedly told landlords their tenants’ deposits had not been paid into protection schemes.

Now Ipswich MP Sandy Martin says he will be raising the case with Ipswich’s chief superintendent of police, and is considering raising a question with Home Secretary Sajid Javid calling for Action Fraud to be given greater powers in cases such as this.

The Ipswich Star reports that a number of landlords and tenants first learned their money was missing when PSPM contacted them in the autumn. 

PSPM is quoted as saying that when it took over the management of properties previously handled by JWEAL in September last year it soon discovered “at least £30,000” was missing from the deposit scheme.

“Someone at Jonathan Waters has not paid that money in as they should have done” a PSPM spokesman told the Star. “It’s been a total shambles – there were boxes and boxes of paperwork.”

Action Fraud said the case was being assessed by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to consider if there was a need for further enquiries.

Jonathan Waters Estate Agents Limited went into liquidation last year with the loss of 17 jobs.

The Star reports that a statement of affairs, filed at Companies House last September, reported the company owed creditors more than £552,000.

You can see the local press report here.