The Negotiator The essential site for residential agents
The TV property evictions show Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords is set to continue next week and will uncover the extraordinary tale of an Instagram star who turned out to be a ‘professional’ rental scam artist.
The programme also highlights how sub-letting scams are becoming a major problem in London, fuelled by a rise in the number of well-informed criminals who play the system for significant financial gain.
Featuring Landlord Action’s Paul Shamplina, the Channel 5 TV show on Monday follows landlord Han Yip as he discovers that his swish West London property has been sub-let illegally by a tenant to three unsuspecting foreign students.
The original tenant turns out to be an Instagram star who flaunts his suspiciously luxury lifestyle despite not having a job, and who brags about a ‘business empire’ on the social media platform. The programme subsequently finds out that the individual involved had done time in a US prison on fraud charges.
“Han Yip was very unlucky,” says Shamplina (left). “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.”
London is not the only city blighted by sub-letting. As we reported earlier this month, a sub-letting scandal was recently uncovered in Bristol.
Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords is set to air on Monday 17th June at 9pm.
Please note: This is a site for professional discussion. Comments will carry your full name and company.