Chembukkavu George
What’s rarely discussed, however, are the sleepless nights, the stress, and the outright horror stories that can come with it. In this blog, I’ll take you behind the scenes of what it really means to lease property—and why, at times, it can feel like living a nightmare.
At first, things seemed straightforward: for a one-year lease, he paid the first month’s rent and a five-week deposit by bank transfer. But soon he began to irritate me by paying via credit card from the third month, contrary to the terms of the tenancy.
After about ten months, I received a complaint from the owner of the flat below mine. Water had leaked through his ceiling, apparently caused by an overflowing bathtub in Malik’s flat. When I inspected, I saw the damage downstairs and promised to cover the cost of repairs.
Upstairs in Malik’s flat, I noticed several cartons stacked in the hall—suggesting he might be running a business from the property. The smell of cigarettes lingered, despite the lease forbidding smoking, and the smoke alarms had been deliberately covered with polystyrene cloth. In the bathroom, there were clear signs of water overflow. Malik assured me he would be more careful and promised to set up a direct debit for rent payments.
But, as expected, the rent continued to arrive late. After the tenancy rolled into a statutory periodic arrangement, Malik stopped paying altogether. I sued him for non-payment and initially won by default, as he hadn’t responded. But he later petitioned the court, claiming he never received the summons. The court, lenient as ever, set aside the judgment.
This time, Malik filed a counterclaim, insisting he had paid all rent in cash but “forgot” to collect receipts. During the Covid period, the hearing was conducted by video call. Since he had no proof of payment and had clearly breached the lease, the judge granted me an eviction order.
When the handover date arrived, I suspected Malik would not turn up. To avoid meeting his female partner alone, I brought my wife along. I inspected the flat, recorded videos, and compared everything with the inventory. There were stains and scuff marks on the walls, and a damaged skirting board corner, which Malik’s partner claimed had been caused accidentally by furniture.
However, a decorator’s report suggested the damage was consistent with dogs chewing the wood. I repaired the property and deducted the cost from his deposit. Malik contested this, but the court ultimately ordered him to pay rent arrears as well. True to form, he settled everything—again by credit card.
Then, suddenly, one month’s rent payment came through as just £1. When I asked, she shrugged it off as a “computer error.” But she never corrected the mistake and eventually stopped answering my calls altogether.
I began sending her formal letters and, after two months, filed an eviction claim in court. On the hearing date, I went Willesden County Court London. For my dismay, I was told the case had already been marked as “settled.” This was shocking, as I had never agreed to any such thing and she owed me tens and thousands of pound.. On investigation, it became clear someone had sent a fraudulent letter to the court, pretending to be me. The clerk eventually apologised and gave me another hearing date.
At the next hearing, the judge ordered eviction and rent arrears under Section 10 until repossession. I applied for enforcement after the waiting period. When I visited the flat with my wife and a real estate agent, Ornelia calmly denied ever receiving the judgment or sending the fraudulent letter. She refused to leave and offered no move-out date. To avoid being accused of harassment, I kept my words measured. The agent, however, bluntly warned her that bailiffs would physically remove her if she didn’t vacate.
Sure enough, after 15 days, bailiffs arrived with a locksmith. The locks were changed, and the flat was repossessed. I had a sigh of relief to repossess my own flat and the journey was frustratingly slow! I noticed Ornelia sitting expressionless just opposite my flat. What I found inside was devastating: piles of rubbish, a revolting stench, fungus-ridden food in the fridge, and a freezer frozen shut with solid ice. There were 8 cartons addressed to Belgium, a large treadmill, and bulky gym equipment crammed into the bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom were filthy, and fixtures were damaged.
Although legally I had no obligation to return her belongings, I allowed her to remove the treadmill boxes and all of her possessions. She arranged a pick up van all her belongings were removed by herself. But I have to pick up the pieces. All the junk and rubbish were cleared by a waste removal company. After deep cleaning, repairs, and redecoration, the flat was restored to its former state.
After these repeated bitter experiences—with Malik, with Ornelia, and with the costly, unhelpful estate management at Bodiam Court—I decided enough was enough.
As soon as the flat was restored, several agents photographed and listed it. Demand was high in that area, so I quickly received an offer. But the sale dragged on for months—thanks to the outdated leasehold system in the UK.
Unlike freehold properties, leasehold sales require the freeholder’s solicitor to respond to endless questions, often causing severe delays. Also the conveyancer required clearance from council, service management company and utility companies. In my case, the buyer was chain-free and ready with cash, yet the process still took more than 10 months. For comparison, when I sold property in India in 2015, the entire process took just a few days. In the end, the buyer was so eager to live in the flat that he agreed to rent the property until the sale went through. Eventually, contracts were exchanged, and the sale was completed.
Financially, my investment in West London was worthwhile. But emotionally, it was exhausting. Malik’s tricks, Ornelia’s fraud, and the bureaucracy of the leasehold system made the journey far more stressful than I ever anticipated.
Yes, Bodiam Court property price has risen since, but selling Bodiam Court was the right decision. Sometimes, it’s better to free yourself of a liability—no matter how “profitable” it looks on paper
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