Stephen Mulhern apologises after tenants living in flats owned by TV stars £4million property firm are left living with damp and mould for two years
Stephen Mulhern has apologised to tenants living in property owned by his £4million firm who claim theyve lived with damp and mould for years.
Stephen Mulhern has apologised to tenants living in property owned by his £4million firm who claim theyve lived with damp and mould for years.
His tenants said they feel bitter and alienated after having their complaints ignored for two to three years.
Pictures of the refurbished bungalow show walls covered in damp and mould, which the tenants - one of which was a key worker during the pandemic - said affected their mental health.
Mr Mulhern said he had no idea about how bad the flats were and is absolutely mortified.
He said he is paying an independent management company to look after the property and promised to fix it as a matter of urgency.
Dancing on Ices Stephen Mulhern has apologised to tenants living in property owned by his £4million firm who claim theyve lived with damp and mould for years
Mr Mulhern said he had no idea about how bad the flats were and is absolutely mortified
Pictures of the refurbished bungalow show walls and ceilings covered in damp and mould
The inside of the house riddled with mould rented by Mr Mulherns firm
The Catchphrase presenter is director of JFDI Productions, which has £4.3million in assets bringing in £5,750 a day.
The 47-year-old, who is paid a £113,000 dividend, set up the firm in 2007 which now has seven properties.
Mr Mulhern himself lives in a luxury London pad, bought for £910,000 in 2013.
His company JFDI Productions bought the bungalow in the Glen Parva area of Leicester in April 2020 for £165,000.
It was refurbished and rented out to the tenant and a flatmate, who pay £775 a month.
They first noticed a problem with damp and mould and pointed it out during an inspection with management agent Connells a few years ago.
They told the Big Issue: The agent merely recommended that we ventilate properly and keep the house warm during the winter. We did, but the damp gradually worsened. We remained patient, sending polite emails at first. In later conversations, my remarks became a bit sharper.
One of the tenants slammed Mr Mulhern as a millionaire, profiting off our misery
The damp pictured on some of the walls of the property
He has invested heavily in real estate, believed to own seven properties around the country, including his own lavish London home which he posts images of on Instagram
His home in London, which he bought for £910,000 in 2013
I despise how little they seem to care...Stephen Mulhern, Jas Athwal and their ilk are all part of the same system that treats tenants like disposable income streams.
They bought a humidity meter which showed moisture levels between 70 per cent and 80 per cent and that convinced the agency to install a ventilation system, but this did little to improve things.
Mr Mulherns spokesperson told MailOnline: Stephen was absolutely mortified to learn about this situation and the awful experience the tenant has faced which is clearly unacceptable.
Stephen had not been made aware of any of these issues as he relies entirely on an independent company who manage the property on his behalf.
Having not been aware of the issues until now, Stephen has taken this matter into his own hands immediately and has personally requested for a team of damp specialists to visit the property to make sure that the problems with the ventilation and mould are resolved as a matter of urgency.
We have contacted the tenant to express sincere apologies for the distress and frustration the management of this matter has caused.
This falls way below the standards Stephen expects and he is doing everything possible to remedy this ASAP, and this process is already underway.
Last month, Labour MP Jas Athwal was exposed as a landlord who was renting out mould-riddled and insect infested flats.
He said he had dismissed the agent charged with managing his rental properties after tenants claimed they were living with black mould and ant infestations.
Labour MP Jas Athwal sacked the estate agent responsible for managing his mould-riddled and insect infested flats
Ant infestations were found in a number of the seven flats owned by Mr Athwal
The MP for Ilford South in east London owns a rental portfolio including 15 residential and three commercial properties in the capital, according to the MPs register of interests
Mr Athwal said he was shocked and sickened by the series of problems, and he was furious not to have been made aware of them earlier.
The newly-elected MP for Ilford South in east London owns a rental portfolio including 15 residential and three commercial properties in the capital, according to Parliaments register of MPs interests.
A BBC investigation found black mould in some of the properties, with dirty and dark communal areas, fire alarms hanging loose from the ceiling, and ant infestations in a number of the seven flats in one block.
In a statement posted online, Mr Athwal said: I am shocked and sickened by the series of problems that have come to light.
I had not been aware of these issues until this week, for which I am furious. I have immediately dismissed the managing agent of my properties.
As the landlord, the buck stops with me, and I unreservedly apologise to my tenants for the unacceptable experiences they have endured.
I will be reimbursing every tenant that is out of pocket for repairs or renewals they have had to undertake.
The MP previously claimed to be a renters champion and had said he was proud to let out properties at below market rents.
Tenants living inside Mr Athwals flats said they were being threatened with eviction if they complained about the conditions, while accusing Mr Athwal and his manager of being slow to respond to complaints or were completely unresponsive.
