Landlord's graffiti message in Shrewsbury home rent row
A landlord took the extraordinary step of daubing graffiti on his own house in a desperate attempt to get his tenants to pay their rent.
The words "Pay rent or get out" were spray painted on to the side of the upstairs flat in Shrewsbury by 54-year-old landlord Trevor Roberts over what he claimed were mounting frustrations about rent arrears.
He said he was faced with a mountain of red tape when he attempted to reclaim the flat.
The landlord claims he served the tenant with two months' notice after she revealed plans to ask for a council house.
Mr Roberts arranged to move into the flat, in Corndon Road, Sundorne, himself after she had vacated. But he claims once the woman found out a council house was not available, she received advice from Shropshire Council's housing options team that she did not have to leave the premises until the landlord had gone through the correct legal channels.
The tenant is then alleged to have stopped paying her rent altogether, despite requests, and Mr Roberts said the situation had effectively left him homeless because he had already sold his former house as part of the initial agreement.
He said: "We've got a legal right to go and do work so I told her I would be attending the property on Monday and went along but she had screwed the letterbox down and I couldn't get in.
"In frustration I got a spray can out of the van and wrote the 'Pay rent or get out' message on the wall and she called the police. They came down and were pretty all right about it and I've been careful not to overstep the law here."
He said he decided to go to extreme measures in an effort to show the difficulties landlords face with tenants that do not want to move.
He added: "What I'm trying to do is highlight my plight. I'm not an evil landlord and did exactly what she wanted to do but, because of the council's advice, she decided to stay there until a lengthy court process which could cost me thousands."
Town councillor Kevin Pardy, who has been in contact with the tenant during the dispute, said Mr Roberts had taken the situation too far and the young woman, who has a three-year-old daughter, had assured him the outstanding rent was to be paid within a few days. Councillor Pardy said the woman and her daughter had now been put into emergency accommodation.
"Whatever the reason for eviction these tactics are not acceptable in a civilised society and certainly not acceptable in the ward of Sundorne," he added.
