Top 20 Shepway Landlords received £2.6 million in Housing Benefit

In 2014/15 the top 20 Private Landlords in Shepway received, two million, six hundred and forty three thousand, three hundred and forty five pounds – £2,643,345 according to an FOI.

Private landlords in Shepway received 47.4% of £42.7 million pounds of Housing Benefit Budget (14/15)
Top 20 landlords in Shepway  received the following amounts:

Landlord                                                                     Amount
1 Robert Allen Sales And Lettings                      £282,033
2 Overton, Mr Richard                                           £240,439
3 Fawlty Flats Ltd                                                    £230,206
4 C J Management                                                   £190,630
5 Sweetman, Mrs Bonnie                                      £189,362
6 Warrens Estate Agents                                      £188,268
7 Fell Reynolds Chartered Surveyors               £157,151
8 Ashe Property Management Ltd                    £145,135
9 Chelsea Portfolio Ltd                                         £128,061
10 Pls Moveme2                                                      £125,373
11 Europa Property Services                                £118,216
12 Clark, Mr Keith                                                  £95,033
13 Stephen Alleyne & Co                                      £82,016
14 Williams, Mr Phillip                                        £73,375
15 Guildhall Homes Ltd.                                      £73,366
16 Shaw, Rabson & Co                                          £68,766
17 Accent Peerless Limited                                £67,076
18 Warren, Mr Bertram Ernest                         £66,044
19 Castles Property Management                    £64,001
20 Ph Newman Associates Ltd                         £58,794

Total (for Top 20 Landlords Only)                    £2,643,345

There’s no suggestion that the landlords or agents on this list have done anything wrong in providing housing. But given the housing crisis in Shepway and the dire need to build more houses in the social and private sector it raises the question whether paying private landlords millions each year in Shepway to host the poor is the best use of taxpayers money.

It is known that Chelsea Portfolio Ltd  (No 9 on the list) is owned by an offshore company

Mr Richard John Overton (No 2 in the list) has recently set up a new company whose agents are EFAZE LIMITED BVI and have a registered address in Monaco.

Housing Benefit is paid to households that cannot afford to meet their rental costs and have enough left over for essentials such as food, clothes, heating and lighting. Almost half the households in the private rented sector that receive housing benefit are in work, but not earning enough to cover the rent and living expenses.

In a sign of how pay has failed to keep pace with the cost of living, in 2008 only a quarter of the private renters in receipt of housing benefit were in work.

Taxpayers handed over £9.3bn in housing benefit to Britain’s private landlords last year, nearly double the amount paid 10 years ago, according to a new report.

(There are legitimate uses for offshore companies/secretaries and trusts. We do not intend to suggest or imply that any persons, companies or other entities included above have broken the law or otherwise acted improperly.)

Shepwayvox