One man sit-in at estate agent (From Enfield Independent)

One man sit-in at estate agent

1:13pm Monday 16th February 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)

A DISGRUNTLED landlord risked arrest to stage a sit-in at an estate agents last week after waiting three months for his rent because of a mix-up at the bank.

Patrick Nolan became so angry with Keys estate agents that he said he would refuse to leave the firm’s London Road office last Wednesday until they paid him the £1,600 he was owed in cash.

Mr Nolan, 68, who invested in the property market as an alternative to a pension, was waiting for rent and a deposit for his studio at Main Avenue, Enfield, which was let on December 19.

He said he had received a cheque for the two months’ rent on January 21 from the director, Ashley Scott, but it had bounced.

He said on Wednesday: “A couple of weeks ago Mr Scott told me the account had been closed and the cheque was given to me by mistake.

“He said he would pay cash within the hour and would ring back to confirm but it didn’t happen. I’ll sit here until 6 o'clock and come back tomorrow morning. Trust me.”

Keys estates admitted that the bank account used for writing cheques to new clients had been closed since November, when Mr Scott’s former partner had left, and at least one other cheque had bounced.

Maurice Ryan, a Natwest bank manager, said he had agreed to approve cheques issued from the account in December and January but several were returned when he was on holiday, including Mr Nolan’s.

He described Keys as a “very successful” business, saying: “This problem has now been resolved and Keys Estates are now able to issue cheques.

“We have formally apologised to the customer, taken responsibility and logged it as a bank error.”

Mr Scott said that last Wednesday was the first time that Mr Nolan had asked for the deposit while he had first complained about not receiving rent at the beginning of February. He said: “I gave [Mr Nolan] a cheque from the wrong cheque book. It was purely an administrative error.”

He said he wasn’t able to get large sums out of the bank and said: “Why am I being picked on? “I have 50 happy landlords and one disgruntled landlord and it has been resolved.”

Mr Nolan was finally paid the £1,600 he was owed by cheque at the end of last week.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)