Evictions expert Paul Shamplina (main image) has called for a rogue tenant database to be established, pointing out that bad letting agents and landlords face being named and shamed via official schemes, but tenants do not.

Shamplina, who is best known for his appearances on Channel 5 TV programme Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords also said during the interview that technology is in the pipeline to gather a national database of tenants who have money orders made against them for their rent arrears debt.

Currently, landlords can only tell if prospective tenants have got into serious rent arrears – or have vacated a property leaving behind debt – if their previous landlord or letting agent has pursued them via a County Court Judgement.

But as Shamplina, who is the boss of Landlord Action, points out most landlords are happy to take possession of their property after an often long and expensive battle to evict a tenant and don’t want to engage in more expense and court action to chase the debt.

Right to know

“Landlords and letting agents who are referencing tenants should have the right to know if they have been evicted before and whether they have built up and then failed to repay rent arrears,” said Shamplina.

“Landlords can get a money order against a former tenant who owes them rent but unless that’s enforced via a County Court Judgement it won’t show up on referencing checks.”

Shamplina revealed that he told Ministers ten years ago that a rogue tenant database was needed to help protect landlords from the worst tenants who deliberately set out to avoid paying their rent, but was told it wasn’t likely to be introduced because it might increase homelessness.

Image credit: Chris Watkin.