18:29 PM, 27th February 2013, About 12 years ago 14
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Landlords and letting agents who visit their female tenants need to be ultra careful based on this landlords story of a crazy tenant. The guest author of this post wishes to remain anonymous.
About two years ago I went to collect my keys from a female tenant. She wanted me to come and collect my keys, inspect the premises and of course authorise the return of her deposit.
One of my conditions was that when she leaves she must have all the carpets steam cleaned, as she was child minding and I could smell children’s urine around. The general condition she was leaving the property in was nowhere near as clean as when I let her in.
She promised me that she would have all the carpets steam cleaned, but when I visited her she had not even vacuumed it properly, let alone had it steam cleaned professionally!
When I suggested that I will need to deduct around £50.00 from her £600 deposit to hire a steamcarpet cleaning machine and do it myself she went berserk!
She started to scream and tried drawing attention to herself as if I had done something to her!
I realised her evil and dirty intentions, she was trying to frame me for something, worse thoughts ran though my mind, would she accuse me of rape, or attempted rape?
Later on as she left in a fit, throwing my keys at my feet, and still crying out loud, still trying to draw attention from neighbours I suspect. As she walked away she turned and shouted “I’m going to report you to the Police”
I protested “what for?”
“You will will soon find out” she yelled!
My god! I was so shaken by this experience, I could not believe how someone I tried to help and provide the best facilities turned against me just like that all for a £50.00 levy on her deposit for not having my carpets cleaned properly.
A month later the Police came and arrested me, I was being charged for a common assault!
I did not even know what a common assault was!
The arresting officer explained that just touching someone can be considered an assault.
In the end the truth won the day, but not without a load of hassle. I strongly believe in the Almighty, he sided the truth, she had no witnesses, and I was released from the charge. However, it left me completely shocked and sick!
I could not eat properly with the anxiety of not knowing what the outcome would be. Will the Police or the Judge or the Jury believe that I am totally innocent or will they take her side for being a female I thought
I was in a real dilemma, I lost weight, I was so afraid that I had to visit a solicitor and paid him over £250.00 represent me in the Police station whilst my statement was being taken.
In the end the end I was told that due to lack of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to pursue this charge any further but will leave my files open. Who knows for how long? They said that should any fresh evidence emerge I will face these charges again. I had to provide my fingerprints, DNA sample, and photos from all angles!
I feel so angry and will never trust another tenant ever again. I will always find another person to accompany me when visiting tenants in future, if not I will take a running Video camera.
I was thinking perhaps such evil tenants need to be named and shamed on a Landlord’s database so that other innocent landlords do not become her victim.
She is pure evil!
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Paul Routledge
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Sign Up18:58 PM, 27th February 2013, About 12 years ago
Sounds like a real crazy 🙂
Sensibly you say that "I was thinking perhaps such evil tenants need to be named and shamed on a Landlord’s database so that other innocent landlords do not become her victim."... take a look at http://www.landlordreferencing.co.uk that’s where all the crazies and bad tenants are kept so we don’t have to take one another’s 🙂
Mary Latham
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Sign Up19:11 PM, 27th February 2013, About 12 years ago
I have heard this story many times and I always warn landlords, male and female, not to visit tenants or do viewings alone.
The name Suzy Lamplugh should not be forgotten because this beautiful young woman disappeared after showing a property to an unknown potential tenant and has never been found. Her family set up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to help to raise awareness and there is some excellent advice here http://www.suzylamplugh.org/personal-safety-tips/
Follow me on Twitter@landlordtweets
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Sign Up23:21 PM, 27th February 2013, About 12 years ago
there is such a database.
several in fact. any tenant referencing organisation should have such a data base.
I've had one young woman offering sexual favours for rent.
never go down that road. that's the worst thing any landlord could do...more to himself if the 'relationship' got out of hand.
Annette Stone
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Sign Up11:16 AM, 28th February 2013, About 12 years ago
I never, ever, meet anyone on my own. I absolutely agree with Mary. I remember the Suzy Lampaugh case and it was horrifying. If I have to go to a building I take a male member of staff with me and I make no bones about why he is there. If I have to have a meeting that cannot take place in my office I take a table at a local restaurant and meet out in the open. As a firm we also never send the guys out on their own for the reasons mentioned in this article.
We live in a lousy world and if any one doubts it read the newspapers of the past year or so!!!
Mike
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Sign Up12:10 PM, 28th February 2013, About 12 years ago
Thank you for your comments everyone, mush obliged! and that link to bad tenants data base. It will be very handy indeed.
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Sign Up16:51 PM, 28th February 2013, About 12 years ago
And this woman was a child-minder? Any woman who can make up allegations such as this shouldn't be looking after other people's children. I'd name her, then she'd see how much work she gets and how sorry she'll be for doing that.
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118
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Sign Up17:01 PM, 28th February 2013, About 12 years ago
Please note that we operate a policy which does not allow potentially defamatory comments here, please see >>> http://www.property118.com/index.php/what-property118-is-not/ Naming and shaming individuals who have not been convicted will result in the removal of such posts
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Sign Up2:12 AM, 1st March 2013, About 12 years ago
Have a look at LRS and the thread Tenant versus Landlord.
I'm the LL and you'll find some peculiar similarities to this case.
My fraudster tenant was an absolute nutter.
Mind you I only have myself to blame as I did NOT do what a sensible LL should; and that is full DD on a tenant!
I consider I have valid excuses but of course really in no way does it excuse my incompetence in taking on such a risk, even though I knew it.
Circumstances sometimes conspire to force you in desperation to make knowingly a wrong decision.
I don't know which is more stupid; making a decision knowing it is not wise or making such a decision in complete ignorance as to the possible ramifications!!!
Matthew Dickinson
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Sign Up16:05 PM, 1st March 2013, About 12 years ago
This is one of the reasons that a decent letting agent is extremely useful, and I mean a decent one, like my present agents, Martin and Co at Newark to whom I have gone after being stung by two different agents before. I can now relax in the knowledge that my house and most impotantly, my tenants are looked after There are some dreadful, crooked agents around!.
Matthew Dickinson
Paul Routledge
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Sign Up7:17 AM, 2nd March 2013, About 12 years ago
I can’t tell you how many crazies I have had in the years and what it has done to a sane person (ask my friends) 🙂
It is so difficult to deal with the total illogical actions of some. Many years ago I had an experience with a very rotund Nigerian lady who had stayed over at a tenant’s studio flat after a one night out and would not leave. The tenant came to my office for help to get rid of her so we went together to explain that a studio flat was big enough for her to stay longer and she was not the tenant.
When we got to the door he opened the door and the very large lady was standing in her rather small pants and bra and asked him to take her back to bed. Explaining that he was not interested she turned to me and asked if I wanted some!!. “No” I shouted “you have to leave”- “ I don’t want to leave I like it here” she wailed and threw herself onto the floor saying she was taking up squatters rights.
To cut a long story short; We could not move her and we dared not touch her so we called the police. I don’t know how the poor lady on the phone kept from giggling when we explained the situation of why we needed their help.
Hello emergency services “Yes we have a very, very, large Nigerian woman lying on the floor of my flat part naked wailing that she is taking up squatters rights please help”..
They sent out a police with a police lady who took 2 hours to get rid of her. So the moral to the story is never take things home on a one night stand or you may never get rid of it.. and that’s not just traffic cones 🙂
This week our landlords working together have reported over £16,000+ in tenant alerts to warn one another about habitual bad tenants that use the law to rip off landlords. There are a few services cropping up that network landlords but only one (The biggest) that can warn you of a bad tenant 1 hour after he leaves his last landlord.
I thank Mark Alexander for letting me tell you about http://www.landlordreferencing.co.uk as like myself we understand that as good landlords we do not want your last bad tenant as you do not want ours.
Tenant alerts this week.
http://www.landlordreferencing.co.uk/discuss/community-forum/tenants-you-really-need-to-avoid/page-2/#p8560