By Victoria Mckeown-
Rogue landlord Robert Crow is crying for help, after saying that unwanted tenants pose a threat to his mental and physical well -being, and he is scared they could give him Covid-19, this Christmas.
The 71 year old despised landlord who has been living without electric for nearly a year has had to endure the presence of the Russian couple at his property rent free, told The Eye Of Media.Com he is scared they could give him Covid-19.
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” I think Southend Borough Council is behaving irresponsibly, I don’t think they realise I am an old man of 71 living with much younger people who appear to mix freely when there is a strain of the virus around.
They know I am not allowed to have people here, but neither the Council nor the police have acted on requests I’ve made to them several times in the past to order those two out. I am simply being persecuted so bad, I think it’s awful”, he said.
Breaches
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Mr Crow was fined £39,000 for breaches of an HMO in 2016, and was again fined £44,000 in August 2018 for similar breaches. Multiple appeals he made against the rulings were dismissed, and he was scheduled for sentencing last month, but at the last minute decided he wanted to change his plea from guilty to not guilty.
His neighbours are eager to see him leave their neighbourhood. They describe him as a bad man who exploits the homeless, but Mr Crow says the neighbours dislike of him is conspiratorial with the council. He says his main desire was to help the homeless, but the council never dealt with him appropriately.
The former landlord said the neighbours believed wrong information and took a disliking to him, conspiring with the council to bring about his downfall.
”At one time I was friendly with the neighbours, but all of a sudden they went against me. I bought the house outright and I think the neighbours didn’t want me accommodating the homeless on their street”.
Nuisance
Neighbours, on the other hand, say Mr. Crow’s presence in the area has been a source of nuisance to them. One neighbour described his fear of Covid-19 as a cry for ”attention”, saying she had seen him break rules of social distancing during lockdown period.
Police has been called over 50 times to the property. One neighbour said; ” the mice from his flat once infected my cats, it has cost me about £3,000, being a neighbour of this man. He had it all , but has to be stupid to be losing it all.
Another neighbour condemned his allegation of a conspiracy. Insisting on her anonymity, she said: There has been no conspiracy against him he’s a landlord who ruined people’s lives.
He’s a narcissist , he thinks he’s above the law by bullying people. I have seen people beg for their deposits when they found out what a slum his property was, and he refused to give it to them”. He thinks he is superior to women.
In relation to the two residents living at the dark property rent free and illegally, she said: ”I haven’t seen them for about two weeks. I am surprised a woman can stay in that dump. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were a man, but it’s surprising that a woman can stay there”.
Electric Supply
Mr Crow says he is the victim of a ”calculated persecution” by many parties who have wanted to see him at his lowest point. He admits he is there now, but believes there could be light at the end of the tunnel if he gets justice. He lives in complete darkness, after his electric supply was cut off by ion earlier in the year.
The energy supplier said it spotted irregular activity with the current, mr Crow says the council is cruel to leave whim without electric.
”They would rather see me dead, he says, they have no concern that I was doing their job for them and accommodating the homeless. These people would have died in the streets if I had not offered them a home. No matter what they say, those homeless would rather have a roof over their head than die on the streets”.
Mr Crows neighbours are mostly against him for a spate of anti-social behaviour at the property. He says they are snobbish and just did not want him accommodating the homeless.
With all but two of his former residents gone, and after having three of his flats repossessed by the mortgage providers of each flat, he finds himself stuck with the couple who have not paid a dime in at least two years of living in the property
Criminal Behavioural Order
A criminal behavioural order from Basildon Crown Court prohibits the former landlord from having anybody spend the night at his battered property in Southend On Sea, except close family members or a partner of his. That court order was not honoured ever since the day it was delivered by the judge.
The couple have made the bottom flat of Mr Crow’s four story building, their home. They had been living at the property rent free before the court order, substituting rent for domestic work at the property because the pair are not eligible for state benefits.
Mr Crow says the Council should intervene, that would be the ideal outcome. However, as they are at war with each other, and will do nothing for him.
Immigration Status
Their immigration status is believed to be an obstacle to them receiving benefits. Lack of benefits has not stopped them from drinking excessively from time to time, according to their depressed landlord.
” I don’t think they have their immigration papers settled, so they can’t obtain state benefits. I still should not be forced to accommodate people who can’t pay rent, and who are not allowed to be at the property. I have tried everything I can to get the couple out, but both the police and Southend Borough Council have refused to get them out. . It’s driving me mad. I am being persecuted from left right and centre”, Mr Crow said
Court Hearing
Mr.Crow is awaiting a court hearing in relation to his alleged breach of a Criminal Behavioural Order, after police officers working alongside the council found tenants at his property. , contrary to the order from the courts. The last court hearing scheduled for December 8th was postponed indefinitely due to a previous case which was overrun .
Southend Council was contacted for comment, and said they would respond as soon as possible.
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