Illegal Tenancies Sub Tenant Scam Grows

PROPERTYdrum

Landlord Actions says it has seen a 15 per cent increase over last year in the number of overcrowding cases they are dealing with, with more in London than anywhere else.

Paul Shamplina says, "The most common cases appear to be organised gangs looking for an easy money making scam. They take out a tenancy and then sublet to multiple occupants. The worst case was a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house in North London which was found to have 53 occupants, all illegal immigrants. There were mattresses literally littering the floors from wall to wall in every available space. The sanitation facilities were stretched to say the least.

"Another case was that of a lady who had a lovely two-bedroom flat in Victoria. Her tenant paid six months up front but she later discovered that 18 sets of bunk beds had been put into her property and it was being used as a youth hostel. A website in China was offering students visiting London accommodation at £20 per night."