More nightmare tenants have been the subject of investigation in a Channel 5 TV programme to be shown this evening.
In the first case to be featured on this week’s edition of Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords, young landlord Han Yip discovers his West London flat is being illegally sub-let to three unsuspecting students.
They have been paying thousands of pounds to live in an exclusive part of London, but their rent is being pocketed by the man who posed as the legitimate tenant.
Flaunting his high-flying life on Instagram and showing off about his ‘property business empire’, he is in fact a scam artist who has spent time in a US prison on fraud charges.
Calling on the help of eviction specialist Landlord Action – the company that is the centre of the programme – Yip is determined to expose the rogue tenant and reclaim his debts.
“Han Yip was very unlucky. He had done everything correctly, from using a professional letting agent to carrying out thorough referencing. Unfortunately, this particular fraudster had changed the spelling of his name among other tricks to slip through referencing. Illegal sub-letting is becoming something of an epidemic in London and more needs to be done to prevent cases like these” says Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action.
In the second case to be featured this evening, the company is called upon to help end an unusual family disagreement.
Three years ago, Sade Ademoye took pity on her cousin Kirk, who was in dire straits after his divorce. Agreeing to temporarily let a room to him in her elderly mother’s home, Sade also gave him a cheap rate.
But after her mother passed away, he refused to leave. With this family feud turning acrimonious, Sade calls in the eviction specialists.
“This tenant took advantage of his cousin’s late mother and took over the property, even though the agreement was only to rent a room. He then refused to leave” explains Shamplina.
“These stories, and others throughout the series, demonstrate the diversity of cases that we have to deal with and the reasons landlords look to gain possession. It is rarely non-fault but often landlords feel powerless and turn to eviction as an absolute last resort.”
The programme is aired this evening at 9pm on Channel 5.
