Court orders letting agents to pay landlord £54,000 following eviction battle

A court in London has ordered the former director of a London lettings agency to pay more than £50,000 in rent arrears, compensation and costs to a landlord following a two-year eviction battle.

Landlord Max Christian’s has been waiting for two-years to regain possession of his apartment in Camden Town, North London after a prolonged legal fight with a local lettings agency.

Kirk Thompson, who helped found local firm London Residential but lives abroad, along with his partner Brittany Thompson, must pay the landlord £48,750 in arrears and £4,274 in damages along with £1,818 in costs following a hearing at the County Court at Central London (pictured).

Christian signed up his property with the agency in early 2019 but only received initial rent payments before discovering that the original tenants had left and one of the agency’s employees was living at the address.

Squatters

After persuading this tenant to leave, he then found that squatters had moved in and the locks had been changed.

He says London Residential, which was subsequently sold to rival Chestertons, suggested he sell the flat as it was now very difficult to rent out with squatters in situ.

During the court hearing, London Residential claimed Christian had illegally tried to evict legitimate tenants but the judge dismissed this and the landlord was granted a possession order and an eviction is now pending.

Christian says he has little hope of recouping the award from the court making it somewhat of a ‘hollow victory’, and that the whole episode has cost thousands, but says he is happy a judgement has finally been made.