Agency shames late paying tenants

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Sutton Estates defend the use of the signs

An estate agency in Merseyside has erected signs naming and shaming people who it claims have fallen behind with their rent.

Sutton Estates says it took the step after spending months trying to recover the arrears for two properties.

The agency said it had warned tenants with letters, phone calls and visits.

A company spokesman said it was acting on behalf of landlords who were possibly behind with mortgage payments due to late-paying tenants.

Neil Heffey, of Sutton Estates, said: "It's the only action we can deem necessary to get a reaction from the tenants. In the majority of cases we don't know if the tenants are still in the property.

"We have only put two signs up so far, but we have got a lot more arrears than that, we're talking about five months worth of arrears.

"How is a landlord supposed to maintain his mortgage payments in that time and then go through the process of getting them evicted?

"The landlord's livelihood is at risk," he added.