A man who returned home after the coronavirus pandemic to find a complete stranger in his flat claims he has been forced to move two hours away from his home in West London.
Filippe Scalora, 41, claims a man moved into his home 'with the help of an employee from the Clarion housing association '; a claim which is being investigated by the company.
Over a year on, the stranger remains in Filippe's flat, he said, while he has been put in temporary accommodation in Enfield, North London.
It now takes Filippe about two hours on a bus and several Tubes to get to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, where he is a regular patient.
On some days the commute has been so bad it has caused him to miss several vital appointments, MyLondon reports.
He said: "I've lived in the same borough for 21 years and this is my first time out of it. I've been seeing the same GP for 10 years.
"So that was a slap in the face. You develop a relationship with your doctor, they become a part of your support network. I've not left the borough by choice."
Filippe left his flat in Chelsea in December 2019 to travel but was unable to return to London after he got stuck in Australia due to the pandemic.
He was comforted by the fact that he had an assured lifetime tenancy agreement at the flat due to a health condition, so Filippe contacted Clarion to let them know about his situation.
He alleged that a Clarion employee who managed his flat asked him to send the keys back so she could gain access for inspections. A short time later, he said she informed him that someone else would be housed in his flat while he was away, but insisted that he would be 'allocated a new flat when he returns'.
The moment of realisation came when Filippe spoke to another Clarion employee about his new flat in November 2020 and said he was told they had no record of anyone moving into his flat.
The situation has been made worse, Filippe said, by the fact that Kensington and Chelsea council have been unresponsive to his requests to - at the very least - be put into more suitable accommodation.
"They wrote back and said 'we did our research and it doesn't take two hours', which was so disingenuous," Filippe said. "You don't treat vulnerable people like this. They also said I could change to a more local hospital but there isn't one near me.
As for the temporary accommodation, Filippe described it simply as a "room". He said there was no bed when he moved in, nor was there a washing machine as it "wasn't an essential item", according to Kensington and Chelsea council.
Filippe continued: "They give you no option. 'Take it or leave it', they say, but I don't have £3000 for furniture."
The council did give Filippe a £200 grant to help with the cost of furniture but all that got him was a 'mattress on the floor'. The room is also 'filthy' with black mould building on the walls and ceilings, he claimed.
He said: "I can't stay here... it's tiny. I've not got a sofa, it's horrible."
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “With a chronic shortage of homes both in our borough and across London, it's vital that we are proactive in investigating tenancy fraud. Our corporate anti-fraud service is investigating this case alongside Clarion, the housing provider. As it is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment any further on the details.”
Filippe has also appealed to the Housing Ombudsmen, which said it could not help him, and declined to comment on an individual case.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Clarion housing 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: a Clarion staff member, a Clarion resident (Mr Scalora) and the unauthorised person now residing in the home. All three of these individuals are suspected of colluding to commit tenancy fraud. If tenancy fraud is established, we will take all appropriate action and support the prosecution of anyone who has been involved.
"Our policy regarding tenancy fraud is available on our website and all Clarion residents are made aware of their responsibilities. We also have a robust policy for investigating any staff member accused of fraudulent activity and this is being acted on now.”
A spokesperson for the Met Police also confirmed that no arrests have been made in relation to this investigation and said it was a matter for the housing authority. They said: "We can confirm that police received a report of tenancy issues relating to this property.
"The report, made to police on Friday November 19, 2021 related to offences committed from December 31, 2019. An unknown person was believed to have been residing at the address while the occupier was abroad.
"In addition, it was alleged that a person at the address was responsible for fraudulent transactions on the personal accounts of the occupier.
"Officers advised that the fraudulent transactions should be reported to action fraud. The tenancy issue was a matter for the relevant Housing authority. No arrests were made in connection with this report."
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