this happened to me

[jeansson]

After the death of my 4 brothers,my two sisters,my son,and my parents i decided to return to st leonards on sea near hastings where i worked 40 years ago,i applied for a flat and went to see a place in st leonards and was asked to take with me£450 rent,£450 deposit,£70 for a search,and £30 for registration which i took with me,
the flat was at
38 the alexander,
32-35 eversfield place
tn376qp
when i arrived at the flat i said no thanks and went back home to basildon,then i decided that perhaps i could make the place a home and rang mark,
mark osomo
247willow road,
da12qr
and he asked me to deposit £500 in his barclays account which i did and wasb give a receipt for the £500,then i went to see the flat again and i was disgusted with the maggots,a mouse,the cooker was smashed,the fridge door would not open for the filth that was on it,i am 67 and not well and asked for my £500 back and he asked me to leave or he would call the police,the £500 was towards my funeral expences so my daughters would not have to pay,i am ill and was very frightened of this man so i left and came back to basildon £500 short,i rang him a few times and was told where to go,,mr osomo is on a site on the computer and is advertising his flat,how many people has he done this to,i reported it to hastings police and spoke to lucy who gave me a crime number 0292 and she said there was nothing she could do as it was a civil matter,i asked the local paper if they could help but i needed to be in hastings before they could take the story....i am just wanting to go back to st leonards on sea so i can be happy again after the death of my family,
i hope you can help
thanks...d walsh
57 eastbrooks place
pitsea
basildon
essex
ss133qs
please can any one help me,,this man has ruined my life...many thanks...den

[Gerry Glyde]

Hello
The Borough Council will be able to help through their housing advice team. They have set up a relatively new unit "Evict Rogue Landlords" that is dedicated to issues of private landlord problems. New regulations were introduced last year that concern letting agents and more regs are due later this year aimed at the problems faced by potential tenants who pay money up front. Contact the hotline number below. That is my best advice. Their services are free to members of the public.

How the scheme can help tenants
Hotline number: 0800 0272651.

If they are unable to do so your local Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to assist you. A solicitor may also be able to help but legal aid is now very limited in the area of housing law but they may be able to do some free work.

Heringtons LLP
Address:
16 Havelock Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1BP, England
Tel:
01424 434192



Holden & Co LLP
0.8 milesHead office
Address:
Liberty Buildings, 32-33 Robertson Street, The America Ground, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1HT, England

[jeansson]

i would like to thank you for your advice,i have tried everything i know,citizens advice,hastings council,the police,and not one can help me to get my money back or i hope to get a room soon,thanks for your kindness...den

[moonjiver]

If you have approached various people but been unable to get effective help, I am afraid it suggests that this is not easy to resolve and you may have to write it off to experience.

I sympathise with your financial loss, not very nice, but this is quite a well-known scam which has had some coverage in the national press - people in various ways pretending to be landlords or taking deposits for non-existent flats.

You have been unfortunate. The safest way in the future is to go via established letting agents etc. They do vary in quality of service and they charge some extra fees, but atleast the properties actually exist (and can be inspected BEFORE paying cash!) and the agents are unlikely to do a runner in the night.

As I said, best way is to visit Hastings, talk to people and look around for a room. Or put some ads into newsagent's windows - again a bit more risky though!

[Richard]

The Police are rather fond of saying "it is a civil matter" whenever it suits them.
But strangely enough two lady Policewomen knocked at my door at 9:30 last night and asked if they could come in.
I invited them in to the front room where my elderly mother was staying and asked them what their issue was.
They said that my address had been given as the place where a 'vulnerable person' had been visiting and they wanted to know if it was true.
I suspect the 'vulnerable person' had been begging on someone's doorstep or something similar.
I said no, I has never heard of such a person, they then wanted to know my date of birth and how long I had been living at my property and whether I lived alone.
I thought this was a bit much but told them what they wanted and they eventually they decided the address may have been wrong.
I wished them good luck and said bye bye.

Yet if someone, like Jeansson (you could call 'vulnerable' in the sense of his experience with housing) was exploited disgracefully by a slum landlord then of course, nobody wants to know, despite the council widely touting their initiatives to clamp down on rogue landlords.

Jeansson, did the council not suggest anything or offer to examine the property to see if it was fit for purpose or contact the landlord?
It seems they have an obligation to help and perhaps you should seek advice from a local councillor or M.P. whose contacts emails you can search via google.

[moonjiver]

I was slightly confused by this story, or maybe I misread it. If Jeannson handed over a deposit but then, after revisiting the flat, changed his mind, then he has put himself in a difficult position.

However, if the first time he visited, the landlord deliberately mislead him, wouldn't let him do a proper inspection of the flat or whatever, then of course any agreement made would be rendered invalid and Jennson would have a case in claiming a refund.

Whatever the precise situation, the Council should of course automatically react if they become aware of a property which is below a habitable standard. But I don't have much faith in the Council - they are strong on pronouncements which enhance their image, poor on actual evidence they are acting to improve the situation and deal effectively with issues in the town.

[jeansson]

i would like to thank each and everyone for your comments,mr osomo is a respected man in hastings with property,when i saw the flat on the site he advertised it on it looked so nice,but when i got there the cooker was smashed,the bed room window did not open,the dog or cat bowl had maggets in it,mr osomo comes from dartford and when i asked the council about him they said they did not know of him,all i want is to get back to st leonards on sea,i am taking osomo to court and try and get my money back,i thank each and every one of you who tried to help me....if any one has a room,or a place for me to stay i would appreciate any help...many thanks....den