Rogue agent fined £3,000 for trading without redress scheme membership

Troubled estate agent David Walters has been fined for illegally running his business after being kicked off the Property Redress Scheme (PRS).

The 40-year-old has been handed penalty notices totalling £3,000 by Oldham Council’s Trading Standards which launched an investigation into 4Property UK Ltd when landlords complained it was not a member of one of the redress schemes.

Earlier this year, several media outlets including the Daily Mail reported how more than 100 landlords are believed to have been left out of pocket by his estate agent activities. These came to light after a court ordered Walters to pay more than £20,000 to landlord Amy Trumpeter.

The court heard how he pocketed her rent and left her house in Oldham with furniture missing and its roof caved-in when he failed to carry out repairs.

Failures

4PropertyUK – which was based at Salmon Fields, Royton, before moving to Lordship Lane, London – was a PRS member from January 2015 until July 2016 but was expelled for issues including poor service, failure to provide receipts/guarantees for work on a property, not passing on rents that had been paid by tenants and failing to maintain a property.

Walters then set up a number of new companies to try and gain membership again, which were spotted and he was kicked out.

Oldham Council served Notices of Intent in 2020 and April this year but he did not respond to either, so final notices were served giving him the option of either paying the penalties or appealing to the First Tier Tribunal. Walters has still not responded.

Oldham Councillor Amanda Chadderton, says: “This case shows the council will act when letting and property management agents fail to register with an approved redress scheme.

“We will always try to work with agents and help them, but legal action will be taken where they fail to adhere to legal requirements.”

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