By Gavin Mackintosh-
Rogue landlord Robert Crow has homelessness knocking on the door after receiving a final warning that his only property left is to be repossessed from him.
The 70 year old notorious landlord is on his last legs after he was reminded that he has under two weeks to pay a total of £100k or completely lose the only flat he has left, and in which he resides. Three of his four flats on the conservatory area of Devereaux Road in Southend On Sea have already been repossessed after one of the most controversial landlords in Essex was refused housing benefits for his tenants because of a Criminal Behavioural order which prohibited him from having visitors at his property.
All the other three flats at his property have been repossessed, padlocked and barred from access after the landlord failed to pay up mounting mortgage arrears for successive months. All three mortgage lenders obtained court orders to secure the repossession. A court last month gave him 4 weeks to pay a minimum of £4,000 for the last property or lose it. Mr.Crow received a letter reminding him he has under a week to go.
The usually defiant landlord fully exhausted court processes in an attempt to overturn court judgements against him. Mr. Crow was advised endless number of times in the last few years to sell his property and move on, but he stubbornly decided to engage Southend Council in a battle he is now woefully losing. The indefinite halting of his housing benefits eventually meant residents at the doomed property were able to have a freebie there without rent for months since he would have to take them to court to kick them out .
PLIGHT
His plight was made worse when energy supplier Ovo turned up at his property a few months ago and completely withdrew his electric energy, citing irregularities in his electricity – an insinuation of foul play bu either the landlord or his former residents. Mr. crow’s final attempt to see a conviction squashed against him failed at Basildon Crown Court nearly three weeks ago. The court imposed tight restrictions that forbid him from allowing anyone to stay at the property overnight without permission from Southend Borough Council-one that would require more than one professional recommendation for any would be tenant, and evidence of ability to pay.
Crow- an electric engineer turned landlord- has a multi-millionaire brother who himself deals with properties but is refusing to bail his stubborn brother out after he rejected his advice a few years ago to sell up and start a new life. He has insisted against his name ever being mentioned in this publication in a show of distance of association from the tarnished reputation of his troubled younger brother.
Mr.Crow insists the situation in which he finds himself has been the product of a campaign against him by Southend Borough Council. A disgruntled mr.Crow told The Eye Of Media.Com:
” I am absolutely terrified of the scenario in which I find myself. I have been the victim of a ruthless campaign to disrupt the good service I was doing in helping homeless people, now I am at risk of having no accommodation myself. I am a humanitarian who was helping people, but what I get is this. I am so depressed, I can’t believe this is happening
Southend Council has said they won’t accommodate me because I owe them Council Tax, but how can they expect me to pay council tax when they stopped my income? It is quite clear that Southend Borough Council set out to obstruct me, and they will get their comeuppance.