Landlord Llewelyn Powell has been left fuming after helping out a tenant who later did a moonlight flit, leaving his room in a filthy mess.
Now Mr Powell has warned other landlords just what can happen if they end up with a problem tenant.
He said the tenant pilfered other tenants’ food, borrowed and then sold someone’s mobile phone and who owes more than £1,000 in rent.
“I am the biggest mug ever,” said a rueful Mr Powell. “But he will not get away with it. I will take him to court to recover the money.”
Owner/manager Mr Powell from Cambridge bought and renovated his property at Cross Lane, Primrose Hill, last year. He rented several of the 15 rooms in the three-storey building to homeless and vulnerable people as well as the problem tenant who was claiming Universal Credit.
The arrangement meant the tenant received payments that were earmarked for his rent, but Mr Powell has been left out of pocket after the tenant begged for loans from him and other tenants and openly bragged about living rent-free as he had no intention of paying.
“I have emails and texts from him asking for money and promising to pay it back,” said Mr Powell.
“The first time he asked I thought he was a genuine case and he was trying to sort out a job. I gave him £35 and didn’t see it back.
“He still kept asking me for more. Then he started being a pest to the other tenants, borrowing money and stealing their food. These are people that don’t have a lot. They couldn’t afford to replace it. They would hide in their rooms to avoid him.”
As rent arrears grew Mr Powell decided to ask for direct payments to cover the monthly £300 payments.
“He told me that if I served notice on him he could live rent-free for three months and would pocket the rent money,” Mr Powell said. “I asked him to use the money to pay the rent, otherwise it was fraud. I warned him; he didn’t care. He has been telling people for the past month that he is going to do a runner with the money.
“He is an absolute scrounger and he has been spinning me lies. I think I am the latest person to fall for it and I am seething. I do things by the book so I will be taking him to court.”
When the Examiner contacted the tenant to ask if he owed rent, he replied “Definitely not”, adding, “You’ve got the wrong number.” He then taunted Mr Powell with the following text: “Ha ha ha ha 6 weeks rent is hardly a lot of money.”
