Bad Property Management

Woolverston Hall Brothers Hanlon Accused of Being Rogue Landlords and of Disability Hate Crime

LANDLORD ACCUSED OF DISABILITY HATE CRIME

Patrick and Daniel Hanlon, property owners throughout the South East, and big city finance entrepreneurs with a large recruitment business serving the finance and insurance business have been named as rogue landlords and accused of disability hate crime and severe disrepair and harassment in a case going through Hastings County Court.

The pair are named as abusive landlords by a tenant who has been severely disabled for years, due to assault and harassment, and says the pair Daniel and Patrick Hanlon, of Roost Properties, together with their co-partners in business Oakfield Properties used and abused her distress and disability against her, in order to deny her basic repair and kept her in an unsafe flat for years in a condition of severe disrepair, several water damage and flooding incidents and dangerous electrics which could have killed her at any time.

The damage and disrepair included several serious incidents of flooding due to poor workmanship, that soaked and deluged the bathroom, sitting room and kitchen, and large bow window area making the ceiling and original 140 year old Victorian decorative plaster to fall down. The damage affected the electrics and Miss Knight lived without a safe electric supply for years, with the electrics cutting out and switching everything off several times a day, and sometimes the whole eletrics and lighting to the flat would be cut off for hours. This went on for over 2 years, between Feb 2010 to 2012.  The only response to Miss Knight was that she would be evicted the minute she raised the slightest complaint. And Miss Knight says, that it was clearly emphasised cruelly to her that she would therefore suffer more assault and harassment and difficulty on the streets as a Post Traumatic Stress victim of violent and sexual assault and harassment, and that she would not just be severely disabled poor and distressed, but then would be severely disabled, poor, distressed – and homeless.  As a result, Miss Knight deteriorated into more and more mental incapacity to the point of being awarded full DLA highest care and developing severe disorientation, memory loss, fear, eyesight problem, balance and feeling suicidal and developing self harm – banging her head repeatedly in distress and going into severe trauma as Oakfield and landlord said she would suffer more if she raised it and persisted. The workmen told her, that they have been told to ignore her, ignore her problems and disrepair and also they were informed they could do and say whatever they liked to her. The landlord and Oakfield had given them full permission and leaway to do what the wanted. Therefore, the garden that she so carefully built and made over the years suffered damage and smashing of ornaments, fencing and raised vegetable patches. Miss Knight has not grown any vegetable since and rarely visits the garden as is brings back such bad memories. The last time, she said she had sat there, she had just burst into tears. It was supposed to be a “Peace Garden” now it is just a “Hell Garden.” The mental and abusive cruelty has been horrific says Miss Knight.

All through this time, Miss Knight has no support and no help. All statutory services said that she was too ill and distressed to be taken on and represented. Being a post traumatic sexual and abuse victim Miss Knight was very emotionally distressed and erratic. Therefore, Catch 22, nobody could take her on and help her, despite the clear factual evidence of the disrepair and the unsafe flat.

Miss Knight contacted the council and involved them, but the council were persuaded every time by the landlord that he had done the disrepair. Therefore, they shut the case several times. Miss Knight had to re-open it. And this went on from 2010 to 2012. When Miss Knight had had enough and decided to take it to court.

There has been no legal help, all lawyer, despite Disability Discrimination Act and Equalities Bill have refused to represent Miss Knight and turned her down due to her disability. CAB and Brighton Housing Trust have said that as tenants and disabled have no rights, that they have to put up with whatever behaviour or abuse or disability hate crime landlords and property agents wish to practice.

Therefore, Miss Knight has taken it to court, against all the odd and with the severe disadvantage of having a gross disability. The court case is now in its second year, as the landlord has frustrated the system at every point. Including, challenging Miss Knight’s knowledge and use of protocol. Maligning and undermining Miss Knight’s council and law advisers by sending emails alluding to her mental health, therefore, telling her council that she is unfit. The repair ordered by the court has been dragged out. It has taken all year to try an get everything done. “It has been like extracting teeth” says Miss Knight.

And to cap it all, the landlord has provided 3 witness statements which are false.  Chris-Williams-contractor.doc which Miss Knight says are clearly false, again alluding and misrepresenting her mental health condition, and also one states that the reason the 2 flats down below suffered water damage and extensive flooding and damage to front of property and rendering, is because Miss Knight has been overwatering her two small hanging baskets. Which by the way, hang away from the building. The statement are clearly false and fraudulent.  In addition, Chris Williams said he never made a witness statement and knew nothing about what was on it.  And yet the case goes on. The judges have not thrown out the landlord’s case and awarded default. The landlord has been allowed access to Miss Knight, where upon he harasses her as to the futility of her case and that he will win and she will lose. The last time, Daniel Hanlon decided to pick on Miss Knight’s pet rabbit Porridge, and decided to blame him for all the property damage. Miss Knight became so ill, she tossed and turned at night and found herself in the kitchen in the early mornings wanting to again commit suicide. So she had to get rid of the rabbit in order to continue. Miss Knight says; “I know Mr Hanlon is well versed in using tenants vulnerabilities and their children and pets against them in order to keep quite. But I decided that the welfare of people are more important and no tenant, disabled, elderly, mum or children should ever suffer any such abuse, disrepair and harassment any more. It is more important to live in a home without fear.”

There is no help for tenants who suffer harassment, abuse or disrepair from landlords. In England, no matter what, a landlord can evict a tenant the minute they stand up for their rights. Therefore, elderly, disabled, single mums and parents with dependant children can be abused and threatened and left in a property that is unsafe, for the sake of having  a place to live, or be evicted.

The Hanlons took over the property in St Helens Rd, Hastings in 2007 during the first economic and property crash. The tenant, Miss Knight, aged 53, said, from the beginning they refused to respond or attend any disrepair. The tenants in all the flats suffered, and eventually the woman upstairs with her family left and considered the way the Hanlons ran the property too unsafe for herself and her family. She was pretty much putting her children and her baby grand daughter’s life in danger.

Other tenants in the property have also been abused and made to suffer disrepair and harassment since the Hanlons took it over and ran it through their fellow agents Oakfield Properties, of Haig House, Hastings. Oakfield Properties has been in the news about disrepair, harassment an evicting tenants who complain before.

The elderly neighbour downstairs is a protected tenant, and has been in the property since before 1989. Therefore, the landlord cannot evict her easily. The landlord tried to put up her rent. The rent officer evaluated it, and instead put the rent down because the property as so bad.  Then the landlord in response withheld repair and vital utilities for the next 5 years. The lady, who is in her 80s, had a boiler that was not fixed for years and lived without any heating or hot water. There was no light in the kitchen, and a great big hole in the garden, made by the landlord’s workmen, that dropped down into a concrete bunker 4 feet down. It was never fixed until recently. The elderly lady could have fallen down at any time, or as she worried, any domestic animal such as a dog or cat, or wild animial such as a squirrel, badger or fox, and been severely injured. It is fixed now, but only in the last few weeks, because Miss Knight has managed to get it to court.

In the maisonette above, which has housed families and several groups of students, there has been severe damp on the walls. The roof and guttering remain unrepaired although ordered by the court due to single expert surveyor’s recommendations. The flat remains damp, with large patches of water coming through in wet weather and patches of mould. At times, the landlord could not let out the propert for some months because of the damp. But instead of fixing it, put in 4-5 humidifiers running night and day 24hrs to convince the next viewer to rent it. Eventually, one did, a young single mum of two, who also since has said it has been a nightmare. It has been unsafe and severely damp for her two primary school children.  There has been electric shocks, radiator fell off the wall because the wall was that corroded. And on top, the single mum has suffered sexual molestation from one of the landlord’s  senior workmen and requests for sex. It is truly horrible, “But, What can you do?” says the mum. “You can do nothing. You have no rights, and if you protest you can be evicted. And now I have settled the kids and in a new school I do not want to do it all again.” She said.  Her view is that it is all the same, and where ever you go you have the same type of landlords and same problem. “There is nothing you can do.”

This is truly unacceptable, as the incidence of landlords and property owners asking and demanding sex and sexual favours in return from female tenants, mums and even the children is going up in this age of austerity. Many people, families and women with young children are suffering, and it is in such an environment that those who are unscrupulous can take advantage.

Finally, the young father in the basement, who lives with his 7 year old daughter, who has been there for 5 years says he is frightened of raising any disrepair issues, and is totally aware of how the health issues affect his daughter.  He is on his own, with his young daughter, and lived in one of the landlord’s properties before. There as severe damp and disrepair problems there. The landlord and Oakfield Properties refused to respond. They refused to return his deposit, and just moved him to th flat he is in now, the basement flat at 84 St Helens Rd, Hastings.

Here also, they have had severe problems with water and damp. Recently, due to Miss Knight taking the landlord to court, the basement has been ripped out by the damp proofing experts, 2 inside walls had to come down, all the walls stripped and replastered and the floor removed. But for 5 years of being there the landlord would not respond. The father was frightened to raise it incase he was evicted, could not find another home and he and his daughter possibly separated. Instead, he has had to watch his little daughter live and grow up in unafe property, and by the tender young age of 7 develop asthma. Which as is known is a serious condition which kills thousands of sufferers every year and causes a lifetime of disability and reduced health and opportunities.

All, by Patrick and Daniel Hanlon, and through their rogue abusive property agents Oakfield Properties. They both have a history of complaints regarding disrepair, poor property, tenant abuse and harassment.

In addition, as businessmen, the Hanlons are suspect to scrutiny. They have the appearance of successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, and yet they have had to wrap up businesses, including their property business Roost Group for corporate insolvency, and another business Synergy Group Recruitment, has gone into liquidation and taken over by Dragon’s Den celebrity entrepreneur James Caan. But the books do not add up. A multimillion recruitment firm which had tens of million pound contracts on its books cannot explain where all the money is gone.

Patrick Hanlon is in Hiding on Facebook. No one can see his face. WHY? With 32 companies and most dissolved or in liquidation and a credit score of nil of a multi-corporation owner and director WHAT IS GOING ON?  And yet can still get 1.6 million to buy a huge Victorian complex and former hotel on Hastings front.

Hanlons and Oakfield Property director Neil Newstead are a tag team of Rogue Landlords and Abusive Bad Property Managers.

The Director of Oakfield Properties, Neil Newstead, has been had up for violently assaulting a policeman in 2010. Having punched him several times in the face and knocked him to the ground where he then continued to kick the policeman. In a separate incident, Neil Newstead, violently attacked a taxi driver, in an premedicated, unprovoked assault, where he ripped off the driver’s glasses and crushed them. He then punched out the radio and intercom system so the driver could not call for help. Newstead then like the assault on the policeman violently and repeatedly punched the driver several times in the face. He then got off with a fine and cost to replace the radio. There was no recognition for the taxi driver, as it appears the prejudice and assumptions of the legal system and society is that a taxi driver and low paid worker is nothing and it does not matter. Neil Newstead and many more take advantage of those in lower social and economic position and decide to misuse their wealthy, powerful position to do what they like and get away with it. It is like the Bullingdon Club on the streets of every city and town. The wealthy upstarts of “new money” abuse the common citizen, working person, policeman and tenant and “get away with it.”

The tenant Miss Knight has created this website to expose and reveal all that has gone on, and take the Hanlons and Oakfield to the public as well as to court. She also has a sense of humour despite all the ills and problems, as she has turned the Hanlons, Oakfield Properties and her experiences into cartoons.  It is the only way, she says, to “EXPOSE THEM, RIDICULE THEM and DAMM THEM.”

 

Yours

J B Knight
Information supplied by Tenant
84 St Helens Rd
Hastings
TN34 2LJ