It seems that all the landlords and tenants of these properties do not have their deposits secured. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find/MW-Sales-and-Lettings/StLeonards-on-sea.html?locationIdentifier=BRANCH%5E110165&propertyStatus=all&includeLetAgreed=true&_includeLetAgreed=on And these: http://www.mandwresidentiallettings.co.uk/ipm/properties/search_list.php?tratyp=Letting&minprice=&maxprice=&let_minprice=&let_maxprice=&minbedrooms=&location=&rows_per_page=&orderby=&button.x=62&button.y=9 Some authority should be checking who the landlords of these properties are and alerting them to check the deposits are actually secured. And the tenants living in them should be alerted to check as well.

This is just speculation about what I think happened given timings. M&W Property Consultants, St Leonards, was set up with JC as sole Director a couple of weeks before LS's court case, I guess because for the amount of the fraud, there was a real chance of her going down. So they were protecting the business. Allegedly, they were still together, as a couple, and business partners, after her conviction. Only when the story broke in the press did JC really seem to distance himself. But that is a moot point. If deposits were taken when JC was still part of the business that was taking the money, which he was, he is equally liable. From what I can make out, now, after the fact sadly that it can't help any of us, her reputation was known. Moral of the story, check out who you're getting into bed with, literally and in the business sense. Ignorance is not a defense in this instance. He is jointly culpable. @Cougar69 - You post as if you know JC?

Good Lord, how many more people need to have been ripped off before the authorities do something about this woman? In case you haven't seen the article Ray refers to, it is http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Dodgy-Camborne-estate-agent-Tim-Glasson-jailed/story-23177509-detail/story.html The issue here with no-one investigating this properly, is that it is only when tenancies come to an end, people realise they have a problem. How many people are still going to have this issue and with her house on the market, she could be long gone before they even find out. Jon Clements was a Partner / joint Director in all of these businesses, he cannot just choose to wash his hands of it. That is him trying to hold you at arms length and hoping you go away. The fact that it has been uncovered the deposit was not protected by My Deposits kind of confirms speculation from earlier on this thread as to whether any deposit taken by M&W from the mid July (I can't recall the exact date, would have to go back through to confirm) was not protected. Is this not a criminal offence now?

Billy, if our business model is that of M&W, I can be any sort of blonde you want me to be. You don't happen to be a boyish charming fella with public schoolboy hair, with an irate cheated wife will beat me up in a very public display on Paddock Wood High Street do you? If so, we're made for each other ;-) Whilst the above is meant to be amusing, there seems to be a long history of one at least of the Partners in this business ripping people off. The PW office has now been abandoned, and her house is now on the market dropping weekly in price at a rate of knots.

@ billybobynumeroduo What a shame the Courier weren't interested, just think how many people would have been saved the nightmare they have gone through. Have you been in touch with them since seeing this thread again? The problem is, this whole con has been orchestrated out of very nice offices, by a charming blond (who only let's true colours be shown when confronted). Typical con type stuff. Even the story in the Courier about the conviction was strange. The version in the Paddock Wood edition was much tamer then the version in the Sevenoaks edition, same Reporter. Bit weird. The press have an important part to play in awareness, but they have failed in this instance. And of course, if you read back over the earlier posts in this threads, M&W were booted off from My Deposits in July. It is unlikely they meet the criteria of the other two schemes. So either, their website lies about the properties they have rented out in the last few weeks, or they are potentially holding deposits illegally with no protection. Can't really understand how they getting away with this. To be honest, seeing how easy it is, why don't we all give up our day jobs and set up unregulated lettings agencies. Seems it's money for old rope and you can just walk away with what you like. Additionally, there was a white van outside their PW offices yesterday, it's all gone now. A runner me thinks.

@ raydetinu Do you know what the trigger was for the police getting interested in the Cambourne case? @ ericsbrother and raydetinu, I understand some of the children were dragged to court in the fraud case and sat there waiting to see if their mother was sent down. A play of the judge sending a mother down. I can't think of any more damage you could do to a child. Anything written on this forum is true and actions were directly done by said "Victim". The posts about people hiding behind this forum instead of them contacting M&W directly are a joke, when they have, they've been abused and screamed at, when photographic evidence has been taken, it's an "invasion of privacy". But robbing people seems to be okay. Hmmmm...

Thank you raydetinu. People came here because of my post above. The agency will not even accept recorded delivery emails. Your post is very relevant to tenants, which is 50% of the concerned parties here. Any tenant who paid a deposit to M&W up until the 25th July will have their money protected until mid October. Any monies paid to M&W after the 25th July, and as of today, until around the 25th August, as we don't have proof to the contrary, is now illegally held by M&W, because, and please correct me if I'm wrong, any agent or landlord legally has 30 days to secure money with a deposit scheme. With regards to LL's, if M&W only used My Deposits, LL's are not protected in any way from what I can make out, is this correct? The liability for the tenants deposit sits with the LL to ensure the agency is holding the money in a client account, not accruing interest. In the light of M&W not answering this question, is there any way of ensuring this has been done? I have to say, all in all, My Deposit seems to be a set up ideal for rakateers, seems there is no belt and braces check on what actually happens to the money. Again, anyone please correct me if this is not the case. I'm trying to learn this all on the fly here.

Read the comments on this thread, no answering or returning of calls, ditto emails. You won't even accept recorded delivery post! When people are made to feel so desperate, they will seek solace in finding people going through the same thing. Hence this thread of people all with a similar tale to tell.

This has been alluded to, not sure why it's not been posted as it is in the public domain. The is what we are dealing with: http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Sevenoaks-pupil-exposed-28k-benefits-cheat/story-22852632-detail/story.html And the single mom thing, kids are all in expensive private schools, so don't buy it.

But the My Deposits scheme was set up in M&W Residential Lettings, which isn't actually a registered business. As it happens, this could be helpful as both of their individual names are on that contract which means, as told by My Deposits, any action to reclaim money is not limited to the limited companies, so you can go after their personal assets. It seems, from previous posts from people who are not interested as landlords or tenants, this could be helpful. But as LS has so many charges on her property, JC is going to be the one to go after. And his name is registered with My Deposits as Trading As.

Can't agree more. I cannot think of another industry that would be allowed to take large sums of cash from people with no regulation. It's pretty crazy I think. And the government introduced the deposit scheme to protect tenants, which I whole heartedly agree with, but what about the landlords who get in with crook agents? It's not fair and can't be right.

Any response from MP. There was some talk in parliament about agents being more regulated, especially rental agencies who can just take money off individuals, sometimes as much as or more than a months salary, and there is doodly squat protection over it. The only deposit scheme that seems to have any merit is the custodial scheme offered by only one of the three schemes that are government appointed. There is no protection for landlords who are liable for tenants deposit where the agent turns out to be a dodgy rat.

Think DOM would have a field day with this lot! Any idea how to get in touch with them?

But if they charge VAT, they should be VAT registered, right?

@Bentilly, did you go to Action Fraud?