Money expert Martin Lewis has advised tenants in London to check if they are in line for a big pay-out when renting unlicensed properties.

Speaking on his Martin Lewis Money Show, he said: “If you rent in London, check your home is properly licensed. Go on to London.gov.uk’s property licence checker. If your landlord hasn’t followed the rules, you might be entitled to thousands of pounds back rent, so it is worth checking that one.”

As part of a show looking at housing, his top three tips for tenants also included making sure they used firms such as CreditLadder to register rent payments and improve their credit rating, and if they were struggling to pay rent, he suggested that they talk to their landlord about a payment plan or conduct a benefits check help to see if they were eligible for extra help.

Evictions advice

A Shelter spokesman was on hand to give advice to callers who asked questions about revenge evictions by landlords renting out mouldy flats or breaking the terms of the contract by supplying faulty kitchen equipment.

“The more research you do, the more chance you’ve got of being happy in your home,” Lewis told viewers.

“Make sure you know what your rights are – and try to enforce them. We need some good balance between landlords and people. Landlords aren’t bad people, there are some bad landlords and some bad people, but the two individuals can knock up against each other and that makes it difficult.”

Picture credit: ITVX