A solicitor was in the press recently warning of the dangers of a Facebook page aimed at organising group legal action against the owners of a letting agent.<\/p>\n
Furious landlords and tenants are claiming to be out of pocket since Thomas and Company Rentals closed its branches in Milton Keynes and Northampton.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve shown their anger by signing up to a specially created Facebook page called Victims of Thomas & Company Rentals.<\/p>\n
The firm\u2019s owners, Paul Collins and Louisa Thompson, are believed to have had around 250 properties on their books when they shut down last month.<\/p>\n
The Facebook shows dozens of complaints from landlords who claim they have not received rental payments and tenants who say they have lost deposits which were never protected.<\/p>\n
However, solicitor Richard Clarke has warned the angry landlords and tenants against using Facebook to complain.<\/p>\n
He has told them: \u201cWe strongly recommend you stop putting information in a public forum where anyone can read it, including Paul Collins and Louisa Thompson.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is understood that both police and trading standards have been investigating.<\/p>\n
The case demonstrates how important it is for tenants to make sure they choose landlords and letting agents that protect their deposit in a government scheme. Since 2007, it has become law that any deposit taken from a tenant must be protected in a government approved schemes within 14 days. Not registering the deposit is a serious offence that can lead to substantial fines.<\/p>\n