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A BBC Scotland report has claimed vulnerable families in the Govanhill area of Glasgow are being exploited by rogue landlords. Reporters say families are forced to live in sub-standard accommodation in the First Minister’s constituency, but are too afraid to complain.
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The report also discovered that several de-registered landlords were operating in the area, despite having been struck off.
Slum Landlords Preying on Needy Tenants
According to Rachel Moon from the Govanhill Law Centre:
“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.”
Police Scotland is also investigating multiple cases of landlords trading unlawfully. Chief Inspector Graham McInarlin told BBC Scotland:
“They [rogue landlords] 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.”
Named and Shamed
The BBC has also named and shamed many of the rogue landlords it came across whilst researching the report. These include several notorious characters already known to the police, several of whom are currently facing investigation and trial on charges. One of the landlords named in the BBC report has an incredible 17 trading standards cases against him.
