Shocking Incident: Uninvited Letting Agent’s Secret Stay

Imagine returning home to discover that your letting agent has been secretly living in your house. This startling scenario unfolded recently when my housemates and I realized that our middle-aged letting agent had hidden away in the small spare room of our terraced home for two consecutive days.

The situation began with an unexpected visit from him, who arrived to “inspect” the property after our landlords opted to manage the rental themselves. After his initial inspection, we assumed he had left, only to find the spare room door locked with the light still on. Lacking a key to that room, we were unable to turn it off. When I texted him to ask for assistance, his response was utterly shocking—he was still inside the house!

Upon confronting him, he falsely claimed that he had informed us of his plans to stay for a few days. This was completely untrue; none of us had any idea. He even went so far as to say he intended to live there permanently and that he had signed a contract and paid a deposit. Our landlords, who happen to be our neighbors, dismissed this as nonsense.

Their immediate response was to advise him to vacate the premises and return his keys. Fortunately, he complied; however, the spare room door was locked again, raising our suspicions that he might have kept a spare set of keys.

Curiosity piqued, I grabbed a ladder to peer through the window, and I was met with a disturbing sight: his belongings scattered everywhere—leftover, stale croissants, clothes, various grooming products, and something unsettlingly similar to a fleshlight.

In an effort to address this alarming situation, I contacted both the local council and the police’s non-emergency number, but it seems this is a complicated matter. Since the property isn’t council-owned, it ultimately falls on our landlords to take action. Moreover, the COVID-19 factor adds to our concerns, as he claimed to have traveled into London using public transport. When questioned, he couldn’t outline any safety precautions he had taken. This has left us feeling uneasy, particularly given our collective commitment to adhere to health guidelines.

What steps should we take next?

UPDATE: In positive news, our landlords have now talked to him, and he is scheduled to come and retrieve his unfortunate array of belongings soon. It appears he’s come to the realization that staying here without a proper contract isn’t feasible.