AUGUST 25, 2016 | BY A & S Property
Vulnerable families being exploited by ‘rogue landlords’, BBC report claims
Vulnerable families are being exploited by ‘rogue landlords’ in the Govanhill area of Glasgow, according to a BBC Scotland investigation. The report claims that a number of people are being forced to live in substandard homes in what is the first minister’s constituency, but are too afraid to speak out. The investigation revealed that a number of de-registered landlords continued to work in the area despite being officially struck off, while it also found that public money is being used to acquire what has been described as ‘slum housing’. Rachel Moon, of Govanhill Law Centre, told BBC Scotland that many of the homes are in very poor condition, with some without running water occupied by young families with newborn babies, with crooked landlords often at the root of the problem. She said: “The audacity of some of the landlords is totally remarkable. “We must have had 12 cases in five weeks of slum landlords moving into property that was being demolished.” "They were changing locks, making up fake tenancy agreements and putting signs in the window saying the property was for rent. "People were phoning the number, paying the deposit and the first month's rent. "But obviously this was not a legal tenancy so the clients were then losing their property." Ch Insp Graham McInarlin, of Police Scotland, said they were investigating reports of landlords who have been struck off but remain in business. He said: "They take over a derelict property, take several months of rent up front and in actual fact they don't own the flat in the first place." He added that one landlord has 17 trading standards cases against him. The BBC named and shamed the following ‘so-called’ rogue landlords:
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