Three landlords face financial ruin on ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’

The second episode of Channel 5’s ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’, due to air on Wednesday 1st July 2015 at 9pm, will feature three separate landlords all facing financial ruin as a result of troublesome tenants. Calling on the expert help of Landlord Action to help regain possession of their property and chase outstanding arrears, Founder Paul Shamplina uncovers the stark reality of tenancies gone wrong.

The leading story follows builder Franc Coutinho, who has been renting his property out in North London for six years without a problem until his latest tenant, Shuaghxi Fu, moved in. Within six weeks, problems with paying the rent began with the tenant reporting false issues with the boiler to avoid paying rent. Despite numerous visits by plumbers to the property, when rent was due, the boiler mysteriously stopped working. Unable to take anymore and facing financial ruin, Franc starts the eviction process. However, when his day in court arrives, Shuaghxi Fu makes a surprise show, files a last minute defence – again about the faulty boiler – and delays the eviction by months.
Commenting on the case, Mr Shamplina says “Sadly we see far too many cases like this. It is one of the many reasons we have fought so hard to prevent law changes in relation to retaliation eviction because we fear we will see more and more cases like this if tenants are able to use delay tactics by reporting bogus issues of disrepair. Upon checking out the property it was clear there was nothing wrong with the boiler but the delay at court meant poor Franc was left with months of unpaid rent and legal fees. Having to pay two mortgages he was on the brink of bankruptcy.”

The episode’s second case features landlord Dipan Doshi who has been renting his flat out to a family of four for 18 months but for the past year has barely received a penny in rent, and is now owed over £12,000. With a wife on maternity leave, he can’t just walk away from this amount of money, so starts the ball rolling in getting the money and his property back.

Finally, after been out of pocket to the tune of £7000 in unpaid rent, landlord Louise McKinlay finally gets her tenant evicted, but once she’s in the property she finds that just because the tenant’s gone, doesn’t mean that’s the end of the nightmare.

Catch Landlord Action fighting to regain possession of these landlords’ properties on Wednesday 1st July on Channel 5 at 9pm.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Mortgage overpayments in a confident market

Financial experts are encouraging homeowners and first-time buyers to take a fresh look at mortgage overpayments as confidence builds in the UK property market and interest rates begin to ease. With major lenders cutting rates, improved loan-to-value options for buyers, and growing optimism in the 2026 market, mortgage overpayments are emerging as a powerful and…
Read More
Breaking News

House price growth remained subdued in August

UK annual house price growth remained broadly stable in August at 1.6% House prices were up 0.2% month on month Headlines Aug-26 Jul-26‡ Monthly Index* 550.1 549.1 Monthly Change* 0.2% -0.1% Annual Change 1.6% 1.4% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £275,465 £276,581 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are revised when seasonal…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

What Adds Three Weeks to Leasehold Conveyancing?

As government reforms target a four-week reduction in homebuying times, Konnect You analysis points to management packs, extra lease enquiries, third-party responses and title issues as recurring leasehold bottlenecks. The government is targeting a reduction of around four weeks in the homebuying process through reforms published in June 2026. Its roadmap proposes more property information upfront and recognises that leaseholders can face delays…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England Money and Credit Report July 2026

Overview These monthly statistics on the amount of, and interest rates on, borrowing and deposits by households and businesses are used by the Bank’s policy committees to understand economic trends and developments in the UK banking system. Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals decreased to £4.3 billion in July, from £7.7 billion…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 1/9/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   infinitSpace to be new operating partner providing technology and operational infrastructure The Stack, Amsterdam’s new home for AI founders and builders, has selected infinitSpace as its Workspace Operating Partner ahead of its opening in September. The partnership will provide the technology and operational infrastructure behind The…
Read More
Breaking News

Why Living Near London’s Top Schools Costs a Fortune

Homes near London’s top private schools command premiums of up to 77%   The latest research from London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed that homes located close to some of the capital’s highest-ranking private schools command substantial premiums, with property values sitting as much as 77% above the wider local authority average.…
Read More