A man said he has been left homeless after a stranger moved into his flat while he was stuck abroad.
Filippe Scalora, 41, believes he is the victim of a conspiracy after a man moved into his flat with the help of an employee from the Clarion housing association. Filippe said he was unable to kick the stranger out of his flat while they ran up an £8,000 utilities bill in his name, MyLondon reports.
"It's really taken a lot out of me. A stranger has been in my flat, running up bills and sleeping in my bed. Meanwhile, I'm left homeless spending a fortune on hotels," Filippe said.
He left his Chelsea flat in December 2019 to travel, however, he was unable to return to London after being stuck in Australia with his parents while the Coronavirus pandemic kicked off around the world. Despite this, Filippe was comforted by the fact that he had an assured lifetime tenancy agreement at his flat because of a health condition.
After contacting Clarion to inform them of his situation, he said an employee who managed the flat asked him to send the keys back so she could gain access for inspection. Soon after, the employee informed him that someone else would be housed in the flat while he was away, but, she insisted that he would be allocated a new flat when he returns to the UK.
A friend of Filippe's helped to move the majority of his belonging out while under the impression he would be rehomed the moment he came home. "I wasn't too worried at first. I told her I will be coming back and she reassured me I would be moved into an available property
"It wasn't until travel resumed and I started making plans to return that I found out what was happening," Filippe said. Things began to click after Filippe spoke to another Clarion employee about his new flat in November 2020.
He was told that there was no record of anyone moving into his flat and that he had £8,000 worth of unpaid utility bills in his name. "I soon found out that the Clarion worker had been collecting money by renting out my flat privately," Filippe said.
Clarion launched an investigation into tenancy fraud. A spokesperson said: "Clarion takes a zero tolerance approach to tenancy fraud and there is a criminal investigation currently underway regarding this case. In order to not prejudice that inquiry, we cannot comment in detail.
"We can confirm that three individuals are the subject of this investigation...We also have a robust policy for investigating any staff member accused of fraudulent activity and this is being acted on now.”
Currently, Filippe is staying in a hotel. He said: "I'd lived in Kensington and Chelsea for a long time, but I've had to move out because I can't afford to stay in hotels in the area. It's a real shame. I just want my flat back and for this nightmare to be over."
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