Young couple rent first property together to discover pensioner, 99, living inside
A couple was bamboozled after trying to find a property on GumTree they could move into together, after finding a dream place they were shocked on the morning of the first viewing
Renting a new home can come with a variety of complications, but one couple certainly were not expecting to find a 99-year-old already living in the home they had paid a deposit and rent for.
Young couple, Amy Da Cruz and Matthew Morgan, from Bridgend, wanted to find a place close to where they worked. Amy’s mum posted an advert on Gumtree, which was successful in catching a landlord’s attention. He approached them and said he had the perfect place.
Amy, a 22-year-old driver, said: “We started talking to the landlord on WhatsApp and got excited about the house. We were sent pictures of the inside and it seemed to have large bedrooms, a driveway, a big kitchen and a garden, so we were keen.”
The landlord had recently moved from the area to Plymouth and asked for a security deposit on advice from his lawyer. The couple, who hadn’t even seen the house yet but were desperately eager to have found their dream place, paid two payments of £300, believing they would get the deposit back if they didn’t like the place.
The landlord also claimed this would ensure that the couple would be able to afford to rent the property. Amy said: “We wanted the house. So we paid £300 in two payments on the understanding that we would get the money back if we didn’t like the house.”
On the day of the viewing the property in 2020, the couple’s excitement got the better of them and after being asked they dolled out another £500 as the first month’s rent. Amy said: “All of the emails and texts mentioned his solicitor and we had seen a copy of the tenancy agreement, so we had no reason to believe that something wasn’t right.”
The couple had transferred a significant amount of money but they had no reason to be suspicious of anything that had been asked of them. However after they turned up at the property they found that the house was occupied by its actual owner – who had no idea his home had been falsely placed on the rental market.
“I was so annoyed,” fumed Amy. “I emailed the landlord straight away asking what was going on. They emailed back saying that they had injured their foot and that they would meet us the next day. We knew something was up. I asked for the money back, but have not heard from them since.”
Matthew, then 26, who had given notice to his current landlord, was able to reverse the process before a new tenant was found. Whilst there were silver linings, the couple had been left £800 out of pocket.
Amy said: “We will never do something like this again. From now on we will only go through property management companies and never give money over before. We had our heart set on this place, we thought this would be our family home.”
Having willingly transferred the money, Amy’s bank have since said it’s unlikely she will ever get the money back.
The 99-year-old, Frank Ballinger has lived at the property in Brackla for around 30 years, described the moment he met the couple and realised that his home was offered for rent without his knowledge. “The couple came here one afternoon and they said that they were here to look at the house,” Mr Ballinger, a retired special constable at South Wales Police, said.
“I was confused at first, I said to them ‘are you sure it’s not the number across the road’ as there’s a couple of houses up for rent in the street. They were adamant that it was this house. I was just confused as to what was going on as I knew that I hadn’t put this house up for sale.
“I just told them that this house belongs to me. At first, I had my suspicions that I was being scammed.Hopefully, the person who is behind this scam is found.”
source: Mirror
- How did Amy and Matthew find the property they intended to rent?Answer: Amy’s mum posted an advert on Gumtree, which caught a landlord’s attention. He approached them and offered them what seemed to be a perfect place.
- What were the initial impressions of the property, based on the information provided by the landlord?Answer: The property seemed appealing as described by the landlord, with features such as large bedrooms, a driveway, a big kitchen, and a garden.
- Why did Amy and Matthew pay a security deposit before actually seeing the house?Answer: The landlord, who had recently moved from the area to Plymouth, asked for a security deposit on advice from his lawyer. The couple paid two payments of £300, believing they would get the deposit back if they didn’t like the place.
- Describe the couple’s reaction and actions when they discovered the house was already occupied by a 99-year-old man.Answer: The couple was shocked and annoyed. They emailed the landlord immediately, who claimed to have injured their foot and promised to meet the next day. However, the couple never heard back from the landlord. Matthew, who had given notice to his current landlord, reversed the process before a new tenant was found.
- What were the circumstances that led to Amy and Matthew being out £800, and what precautions do they plan to take in the future when renting a property?Answer: The couple paid a security deposit and the first month’s rent, a total of £800, before realizing the house was falsely placed on the rental market. They plan to only go through property management companies in the future and never give money before proper verification. Unfortunately, Amy’s bank stated that it’s unlikely she will ever get the money back.
