PR activity report for Nov/Dec 2013 May 2012
Press releases/feature articles and comment written and distributed
November - Landlord’s fury at nightmare tenant’s trail of destruction
November - Julie Herbert appointed Head of Legal Department at Landlord Action
November – Q&A style feature for UK Landlord
November (Written but not used) Landlord Action Scoops Top Supplier at Landlord & Buyto-Let Awards
December – ThinkTank Blog
December – In depth comment for Rosalind Renshaw for Residential Property Investor
December – 1500 word feature for PropertyDrum on the right way to go about evicting a tenant
December - Letting agents educated on making the most of the ‘sharp end’ of the industry.doc
Upcoming releases and Activity -
Click to Evict
-
Problem with deposit schemes o Product to solve deposit scheme problem
Press cuttings Date November
Publication The Negotiator
November
November
Landlord & Buy to Let Magazine Property Investor New UK Landlord
12th November
Property Reporter
Landlord’s fury at nightmare tenant’s trail of destruction
15th November
Landlord Today
Landlord’s fury at nightmare tenant’s trail of destruction
November
Title Landlord’s revolutionary is now part of the establishment Ask tom….Landlord Action quoted Anti-establishment firm becomes regulated Complying with the Law
AVE Circulation: AVE: £ Circulation: 25000 AVE: £450.15 Circulation: 12000 AVE: £583.05 Circulation: 22000 AVE: £466.46 Circulation: NA AVE: £NA
Circulation: NA AVE: £NA
11th December
News on the Block
LANDLORD’S FURY AT NIGHTMARE TENANT’S TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
Circulation: NA AVE: £NA
13th December
Bucks Free Press
13th December
Marlow Free Press
Tenant scheme could ‘quickly go very wrong’ Marlow Free Press
Circulation: 17838 AVE: £280.67 Circulation: 3000 AVE: £267.97 9 £2,048.30
Total Press Cuttings Total AVE
Total of cuttings: 9 Total AVE (advertising equivalent) £2,048.30 Many of the pieces THIW has worked on recently have been larger features which will equate to one substantial piece of coverage, due out in future magazines, as opposed to press releases which tend to generate numerous smaller pieces of coverage.
Landlord’s fury at nightmare tenant’s trail of destruction Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Published by WARREN LEWIS Landlords & Lettings
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A landlord, who rented out his ground floor garden flat in Earlsfield, remains locked in a battle with his ex-tenant despite the fact the two year nightmare tenancy was brought to end with an eviction carried out by Landlord Action on 23rd October. However, the tenant has left behind all of her belongings and a trail of squalor that will cost the landlord in excess of £8000 to put right. A little over a year ago, Mr Paul Sinclair rented his property to a tenant who he believed, from references, was in full time employment. It later transpired she was not, and was in fact claiming housing benefit. From the outset, the tenant never paid the £1100 per month rent in full, and instead chose to send nominal amounts as and when, £10, £50, £400. Mr Sinclair allowed the tenancy to continue knowing the tenant had two children, until such time as payments became so infrequent he was no longer able to meet his own mortgage payments on the property. A successful possession order was granted on 9th August 2013, meaning the tenant had to vacate by the 23rd. She refused to leave and instead filed a defence to delay the process, saying she had not received the notice. After a hearing on the 16th September, an eviction date was finally set for 23rd October. Since then, the tenant has absconded leaving behind a property full of belongings and filth. Sewage has built up in the living areas, there is mould in every corner of the kitchen and its appliances, with rubbish, which has collected over months, attracting vermin and leaking toxic gases. Now, despite reclaiming possession, Mr Sinclair remains locked in an ‘unproceedable’ position as the property remains packed with hoards of the tenant’s belongings. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action has issued the following advice: “Landlords who find left items at their property, whether by accident or deliberate, must follow a procedure in order to dispose of them to avoid repercussions. In this instance, we have advised Mr Sinclair that he is within his rights to dispose of any rubbish and perishable items immediately. He then needs to give the tenant written notice that the rest of her belongings must be collected by a certain date, otherwise they will be disposed of.” However whilst items of value must be held for 14 days, personal documents such as financial information, personal photos or identity documents must be kept safe for up to 90 days. “This is a very time consuming and frustrating situation for any landlord” says Shamplina. “When you finally get possession of your property, you want to take control straight away and sadly that is not always the case.”
Landlord Action advise all landlords to ensure there is a clear communication trail indicating you have done all you can to ask the tenant to remove the items, then have a third party inventory company carry out a full check-out report so that the items are documented. Finally, dispose of the items accordingly. If the tenant does choose to come to the property and remove the items, ensure there is an agent present as a witness. Mr Sinclair commented: “The financial and emotional burden this dealt me with is unimaginable. The extent of the mess is something I thought was just fabricated in media stories but sadly, this is reality. Reclaiming possession of my property is only half of the story as I am now faced with further threats from the tenant who says she will sue if I remove her belongings. I feel the rules on matters such as these need to be clearly laid out as part of winning a possession order.�
Landlord’s fury at nightmare tenant’s trail of destruction Friday 15th November 2013
A landlord, who rented out a garden flat in Earlsfield, south-west London, remains locked in a battle with his ex-tenant despite the fact the two-year tenancy was brought to end with an eviction on 23 October. Paul Sinclair claims the tenant has left behind all of her belongings and a trail of squalor that will cost more than £8,000 to put right. Sinclair starting renting the property to the tenant just over a year ago. References suggested she was in full time employment but it later transpired she wasn’t and was, in fact, claiming housing benefit. Sinclair says that from the outset, the tenant never paid the £1,100 per month rent in full, and instead chose to send nominal amounts as and when. He allowed the tenancy to continue knowing the tenant had two children, until such time as payments became so infrequent he was no longer able to meet his own mortgage payments on the property. He employed the services of eviction specialists Landlord Action and a successful possession order was granted on 9 August 2013, meaning the tenant had to vacate by the 23 August. She refused to leave and instead filed a defence to delay the process, saying she had not received the notice. After a hearing on the 16 September, an eviction date was finally set for 23 October. Since then, the tenant has absconded leaving behind a property full of belongings and filth. Sewage has built up in the living areas, there is mould in every corner of the kitchen and its appliances, with rubbish, which has collected over months, attracting vermin and leaking toxic gases. Now, despite reclaiming possession, Sinclair can’t move forward with the property as it remains packed with hoards of the tenant’s belongings. Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, has issued the following advice: “Landlords who find left items at their property, whether by accident or deliberate, must follow a procedure in order to dispose of them to avoid repercussions. In this instance, we have advised Mr Sinclair that he is within his rights to dispose of any rubbish and perishable items immediately. He then needs to give the tenant written notice that the rest of her belongings must be collected by a certain date, otherwise they will be disposed of.” However whilst items of value must be held for 14 days, personal documents such as financial information, personal photos or identity documents must be kept safe for up to 90 days. “This is a very time consuming and frustrating situation for any landlord,” says Shamplina. “When you finally get possession of your property, you want to take control straight away and sadly that is not always the case.” Landlord Action advise all landlords to ensure there is a clear communication trail indicating you have done all you can to ask the tenant to remove the items, then have a third party inventory company carry out a full check-out report so that the items are documented. Finally, dispose of the items accordingly. If the tenant does choose to come to the property and remove the items, ensure there is an agent present as a witness.
Sinclair said: “The financial and emotional burden this dealt me with is unimaginable. The extent of the mess is something I thought was just fabricated in media stories but sadly, this is reality. Reclaiming possession of my property is only half of the story as I am now faced with further threats from the tenant who says she will sue if I remove her belongings. I feel the rules on matters such as these need to be clearly laid out as part of winning a possession order.�
LANDLORD’S FURY AT NIGHTMARE TENANT’S TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION Share | Print | Email | Tweet | Comment
Wednesday, 11th December 2013
Landlord Action is advising all landlords on what steps to take if a tenant is evicted but leaves behind their possessions. It follows a recent eviction, when a tenant never paid the £1,100 per month rent in full, and left behind all of her belongings and a trail of squalor that will cost the landlord in excess of £8,000 to put right. Landlord Action advises landlords to ensure there is a clear communication trail indicating you have done all you can to ask the tenant to remove the items, then have a third party inventory company carry out a full check-out report so that the items are documented. Finally, dispose of the items accordingly. If the tenant does choose to come to the property and remove the items, ensure there is an agent present as a witness. - See more at: http://www.newsontheblock.com/news-and-opinion/60517/landlords-fury-at-nightmare-tenants-trail-ofdestruction.thtml#sthash.a7pl6eTt.dpuf