Rogue letting agent case kicks off new Channel 5 eviction documentary
Company based in Ilford, Essex that's no longer trading features in new TV series starring Paul Shamplina.
Channel 5 is to launch a new documentary series on the rental sector including one case in which a long-standing and notorious rogue letting agent in Essex is featured.
Called Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords and starring eviction specialist Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action, its first episode looks at a tenant placed by rogue agent Carter Stones based in Ilford, Essex.
The company, which is no longer trading and was dissolved via compulsory strike-off in September last year, has some eye-watering reviews on the allAgents.co.uk website.
This includes one renter who lost £4,200 after paying a deposit and the first month’s rent for a property to Carter Stones.
The firm was investigated by the BBC last month and recently expelled from both the redress and deposit protection schemes it belonged to.
Harrowing tales
Channel 5’s first episode of Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords is to be screened tomorrow Thursday 5th April at 8pm and will feature harrowing stories of poor behaviour by both landlords and tenants including a bedsit fire in a poorly-maintained property in NW London and problems with squatters for a landlord in Cheshire.
The episode kicks off with the Carter Stones case. It involves a tenant placed by the firm on behalf of landlord Muhammed Rahman (pictured, right).
The tenant later failed to pay rent for four months and, the programme shows, had also been subletting rooms within the property.
“Mr Rahman fell victim not just to a rogue letting agent, but also a rogue tenant, which made this case particularly distressing,” says Paul Shamplina (left, below).
“With mounting rent arrears and a mortgage to pay, Muhammad and his family were forced to live in cramped conditions in one small room at his brother’s house along with his brother’s family, including four children, and take a second job to cover the costs.
“This was part of an organised subletting gang, and when we discovered the sub-tenants hidden in a room upstairs during the High Court eviction, the atmosphere became particularly hostile.
“The police were called and the matter was dealt with, but I hope this scene acts as a reminder to landlords watching the show not to try and deal with situations like this without seeking professional help.”
