0:00:02 > 0:00:07You're watching X-Ray, the programme that fights for your rights.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11If you've been scammed or dealt a raw deal, we're on your side -
0:00:11 > 0:00:15exposing the truth and tracking down the rogues.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20And we won't take no for an answer.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Tonight, we're on the hunt for a rogue letting agent who's left
0:00:34 > 0:00:38a trail of misery behind him.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41We're from BBC Wales' X-ray programme.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I can't believe he's just walking around fine, and I just want to say,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48"Do you realise everything you put my mum and dad through?"
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Beryl thought she was jetting off for the trip of a lifetime, but her
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Canadian holiday hit turbulence.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57They came and said, "Sorry, we've only got one bedroom.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59You'll have to share."
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Half-an-hour later they said, "We've only got one bed.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05You'll have to share a bed as, well."
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Got my van, I've got my baseball hat.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13I think I'll call myself Rhod's Reliable Parcels!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15And Rhod becomes a courier for the day.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18What could possibly go wrong!
0:01:20 > 0:01:22First tonight, Rachel's been to Monmouthshire,
0:01:22 > 0:01:28where a rogue letting agent has been letting down a lot of people.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37He's the lettings agent everyone is after, but not for his houses.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39He's taken my money.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41He's taken other people's money.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44My mum had actually put really nice lights in for when he moved in,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and he'd actually taken them all.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50But it seems he didn't leave a forwarding address.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Do you know where I can find Neil Bradbury?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59The Monmouthshire village of Portskewett was
0:01:59 > 0:02:03a fabulous place to grow up.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Yasmin Jones has loads of happy memories.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11We came here when I was one, I think, and it was always
0:02:11 > 0:02:14a really nice family home and I've got loads of really good family
0:02:14 > 0:02:16memories from here.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20And she had good memories of their neighbour, Neil Bradbury.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22We all got on really well.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23This is a really close neighbourhood.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Everyone knows everyone.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Neil Bradbury ran this letting agency in Chepstow.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32When Yasmin's parents moved to Scotland,
0:02:32 > 0:02:38he didn't just find tenants, he rented their house himself.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40He actually made the contract and everything
0:02:40 > 0:02:42for his letting agreement here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45At the time, obviously, my mum thought that was
0:02:45 > 0:02:48an amazing idea - she didn't have to go and find someone to let out
0:02:48 > 0:02:49the property for her.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51It all seemed to fall into place.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55But Neil Bradbury wasn't going to be a dream tenant.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Next door neighbours and friends, they were telling us that there was
0:02:58 > 0:03:01police coming here and debt collectors going around
0:03:01 > 0:03:06the neighbourhood, so my mum and dad got really concerned about it.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Yasmin's parents were getting increasingly desperate.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16He stopped paying rent and was ignoring texts from her mum.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17Neil, I need to speak you ASAP!
0:03:29 > 0:03:32He wouldn't return any of my mum's phone calls, he wasn't paying
0:03:32 > 0:03:35his rent and that was it, then.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38The rent was months overdue and Yasmin's family decided it was
0:03:38 > 0:03:43time to evict him.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Yasmin was the first to go to the repossessed house.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50I was really nervous about coming into the house
0:03:50 > 0:03:52and what I was going to find.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55At first she couldn't even get in.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59A key was snapped in the lock.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Finally, a locksmith opened the door.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Literally, my heart sank, like I remember looking up
0:04:06 > 0:04:12the stairs and all the banister was snapped and fallen through and I
0:04:12 > 0:04:15remember my dad building that.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I walked then into the first room which is
0:04:20 > 0:04:24the living room and just all along the room was just bags of rubbish.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28I looked up at the ceiling, all the white fittings had been taken off,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32it was just bare wires hanging down and my mum had actually put really
0:04:32 > 0:04:36nice lights in for when he moved in and he'd actually taken them all.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39He'd also taken the washing machine.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41My mum had left a dining room table with leather
0:04:41 > 0:04:43chairs and that was all gone.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The happy home of Yasmin's childhood was no more.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50My mum always kept it amazingly clean.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53My dad did all the decorating and built everything in here.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56All that was destroyed.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02The family say Neil Bradbury owes them more than ?6,000.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I can't believe that he's just walking around fine
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and we're having to deal with this.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10As soon as I see him, I'm so angry and I just want to say,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14like, "Do you realise everything you put my mum and dad through?"
0:05:14 > 0:05:17But Neil Bradbury's not just a bad tenant who left
0:05:17 > 0:05:19his landlords out of pocket.
0:05:19 > 0:05:26I've been investigating his letting business
0:05:26 > 0:05:33and it seems that the Jones' family problems are the tip of an iceberg.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Much more on that later.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Remember, if you've got a story you'd like us to investigate,
0:05:37 > 0:05:43give us a call on 03703 334 334.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Still to come:
0:05:50 > 0:05:54When deliveries go wrong - we'll hear some of your horror stories.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58It was completely smashed up.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59Nothing happened.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03It just didn't get delivered.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Before that, I've been to Anglesey to meet a globe-trotting grandmother
0:06:07 > 0:06:14who was let down by her airline, not once, but three times!
0:06:16 > 0:06:19When you're jet-setting around the globe with international
0:06:19 > 0:06:21airlines, you want to feel sure that you're well looked after
0:06:21 > 0:06:25on those long distance journeys.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Especially, if you're a passenger who needs a little extra help.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33If you look on Air Canada's website, it is very proud
0:06:33 > 0:06:37of what it calls its 'core values'.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41One of these, it says, is to "Make every customer feel valued".
0:06:41 > 0:06:44But a nightmare journey for one disabled passenger made her
0:06:44 > 0:06:49feel anything but.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Last year, 72-year-old grandmother Beryl Jones was planning a trip
0:06:52 > 0:06:56of a lifetime to Canada.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I wanted to go to Vancouver and then from Vancouver to
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Nova Scotia, stopping at various places where I used to be.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I used to live there.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10I had friends I wanted to visit, so, yes,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14it would be a trip of a lifetime.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Not only would this trip cost Beryl over ?4,000 having multiple
0:07:18 > 0:07:24sclerosis would provide an extra challenge.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30I hadn't travelled alone for a long, long time.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Because the MS is getting a little worse, I thought, "Wow,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36could I do it?"
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And yet there's another side of my brain saying, "Yes, you can.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Do it!"
0:07:41 > 0:07:44But when Beryl set off on her first leg to Vancouver, Air Canada
0:07:44 > 0:07:51did not get off to a flying start.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57When I arrived in Vancouver, my case was there, but my walker wasn't.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01I need a walker in order to walk around.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Beryl went back to her hotel hoping that her walker would
0:08:05 > 0:08:10eventually turn up.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14The next day it didn't, so she had to buy a new one,
0:08:14 > 0:08:19at a cost of 240 Canadian dollars.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24But she decided to forget about it and enjoy her holiday.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28It was a fantastic holiday because I was able to see my son,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31who I hadn't seen for five years, and also friends
0:08:31 > 0:08:35which I hadn't seen for 20 years.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40It was fantastic.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43After her great three week escapade through the Canadian Rockies, it was
0:08:43 > 0:08:47time for Beryl to return to Wales.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49She hoped that the journey home would be less rocky
0:08:49 > 0:08:51than the way out!
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Sadly, she was wrong!
0:08:56 > 0:09:00No sooner had she struggled on board her plane than she was
0:09:00 > 0:09:04asked to get off again.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Some of us were on the airplane, but then they said everything has
0:09:07 > 0:09:15to come off again because there was a technical fault.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18She would be put up in the airport hotel with a fellow disabled
0:09:18 > 0:09:22passenger, but Beryl couldn't believe what she was told next.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25They came and said, "Sorry, we've only got one bedroom.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27You'll have to share."
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Half-an-hour later they said, "We've only got one bed.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34You'll have to share a bed, as well."
0:09:34 > 0:09:38By that time we were so tired, we just said, "OK."
0:09:38 > 0:09:41She slept on one side, I slept on the other.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42But this was a complete stranger.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44She could have been anyone.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47We decided we'd put up with it.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52We certainly weren't pleased with it at all.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Finally, she was on her way home.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But with an unscheduled stop in Montreal,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02her luggage just couldn't keep up!
0:10:02 > 0:10:05All my keys to my house, my mobile phone, everything was
0:10:05 > 0:10:09in my case under lock and key.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I thought safe and sound - I'm not going to lose them.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16But, of course, they lost my case.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19When she finally made it home, Beryl had to fork out to have her
0:10:19 > 0:10:22locks replaced.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Together with the loss of her mobility walker,
0:10:24 > 0:10:31she was out of pocket by a total of around ?325 thanks to Air Canada.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35She wrote to the airline demanding compensation.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39As a major airline which values its customers, Beryl was confident
0:10:39 > 0:10:46Air Canada would listen, but their response came as a bit of a shock.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49They wrote back to me and said, oh, you can have 25% off
0:10:49 > 0:10:55your next flight to Canada with us.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58They certainly didn't think about all of the expenses that I've had
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and they didn't even mention them.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04They only mentioned the 25% off.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Well, that was atrocious.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09So, they refused to pay up on the loss
0:11:09 > 0:11:13of her walking aid on her outbound journey from London to Vancouver,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17despite EU regulations which say that where mobility equipment is
0:11:17 > 0:11:27lost or damaged by airlines the passenger shall be compensated.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31I was treated very poorly and I felt very dissatisfied with
0:11:31 > 0:11:38the response I had.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Uncaring, very uncaring.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49Well, after we spoke to Air Canada, they had a dramatic change of heart.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52They're now fully reimbursing Beryl for all her expenses,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56as well as giving her ?100 compensation and 25% off a future
0:11:56 > 0:12:00flight for herself and her family.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03That's what I call a result!
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Phew, lucky I caught that.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10It's nearly that time of year again, when we order stuff online
0:12:10 > 0:12:13for Christmas and wait for the parcels to be delivered.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19Sometimes, though, that doesn't go as smoothly as you'd expect.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Let's see if the shoppers here in Merthyr Tydfil have any horror
0:12:23 > 0:12:27stories about deliveries gone wrong.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I ordered something off eBay, a mobile phone, and it was, like,
0:12:30 > 0:12:38two or three weeks late, and then it was just completely smashed up.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I sent a parcel out to my daughter, part of it arrived
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and the other part didn't.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I've had stuff left outside.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Really?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50How did you feel about that?
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Very annoyed because what was in it was very valuable and I was
0:12:53 > 0:12:58just lucky it didn't get stolen.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I paid a lot of money for a football top to be delivered.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Nothing happened and it just didn't get delivered.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06It got to the point then where we actually physically had to go
0:13:06 > 0:13:08and order it direct from the football company themselves.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So you had to pay twice, did you?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I had to pay all over again, so we were out of money.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14Not good.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16So, what can you do if your goods aren't delivered on
0:13:16 > 0:13:18time, in one piece, or even at all?
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Rhod's been finding out.
0:13:23 > 0:13:2650 years ago it was pretty straightforward -
0:13:26 > 0:13:31parcels were delivered by the Royal Mail.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Now, though, there are any number of courier companies and it's a
0:13:35 > 0:13:39booming business, with more parcels being delivered than ever before.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43But, according to a recent consumer survey, one in four of us have had
0:13:43 > 0:13:46problems with those deliveries.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50The industry isn't regulated so anyone can set themselves up
0:13:50 > 0:13:52as a courier.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53Even me.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I've got my van, I've got my baseball hat.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03I think I'll call myself Rhod's Reliable Parcels.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Need a delivery?
0:14:06 > 0:14:11We pride ourselves on a safe and speedy service.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16We'll stop at nothing to get that precious package to you.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24And you can rely on us to take good care of the products you've ordered.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32OK, so there are bound to be teething problems in the early days.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35But, sadly, plenty of you have been in touch with us, complaining
0:14:35 > 0:14:38of difficulties with real couriers.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Goods that have been damaged, delayed or lost altogether.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Back in September, college student John Roberts from Bala ordered
0:14:49 > 0:14:52a ?40 computer monitor on eBay.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55He needed it for his coursework.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00I got an estimated delivery time of the 10th to the 11th of September.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03From that time on, I hadn't heard anything or hadn't
0:15:03 > 0:15:08received the parcel at all.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13John checked the parcel's tracking number and discovered
0:15:13 > 0:15:17his monitor was still at the depot of delivery company myHermes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20They told John to contact Parcel2Go, the broker who'd booked
0:15:20 > 0:15:24the delivery, but they said they couldn't help either.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27So John went back to the seller.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I pointed out to him that all these couriers have passed
0:15:30 > 0:15:37me back to him and, from that point, I haven't heard anything.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40We managed to get John his money back, though.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Parcel2Go told us that although he wasn't their direct
0:15:43 > 0:15:48customer, they're now giving him ?50 as a goodwill payment.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56It goes to show that this courier business is trickier than I thought.
0:15:57 > 0:16:04So what can people do if their goods don't reach them on time or intact?
0:16:04 > 0:16:10Let's get some advice from a consumer expert.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Ultimately, it's the seller who's responsible
0:16:13 > 0:16:16for making sure that the goods are delivered either to you personally
0:16:16 > 0:16:18or to a person of your choosing.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21So if you don't get anywhere with the courier, go back to
0:16:21 > 0:16:24the seller and get them to chase it up and, ultimately, if the parcel
0:16:24 > 0:16:29isn't delivered it's the seller that has to give you the refund.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32OK, so imagine this, I'm waiting for a parcel to arrive on
0:16:32 > 0:16:36a particular day so I take the day off work to wait for it to arrive.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38But it doesn't turn up.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Am I entitled to compensation?
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Well, no, not for that first day because you were
0:16:42 > 0:16:44going to take that day off anyway.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And although it's really aggravating that the parcel hasn't arrived,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49in the legal sense you haven't suffered a loss.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53But, of course, the net effect may be that you have
0:16:53 > 0:16:56to take off a second day or a second morning and lose work or
0:16:56 > 0:16:58holiday as a consequence of that.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And so for that you would be entitled to seek compensation.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04OK, so what about some of the other common complaints we hear?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06For example, the courier leaves your parcel with
0:17:06 > 0:17:10a neighbour you don't really know and they don't give it to you.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Or, the courier leaves it by the front door and it gets stolen?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Well, if it's been left in a random place or with some
0:17:16 > 0:17:19random person then you could reasonably argue that the courier
0:17:19 > 0:17:22has been negligent and, again, it's the seller's responsibility to
0:17:22 > 0:17:25make sure delivery happens, so it's up to him to chase it up.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Right, now let's turn this around.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33What happens if I'm the seller and I want to get rid of my collection
0:17:33 > 0:17:35of Coronation Mugs?
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Your what?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38My mugs.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I've got dozens of them.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42But I just don't have the room for them anymore.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46What do I need to do if I'm planning to send them to a buyer?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Well, you need to make sure that the delivery company or courier has
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Goods In Transit insurance, against which you can claim
0:17:51 > 0:17:53if anything goes wrong.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And don't forget, it's up to you as the seller to do
0:17:56 > 0:17:59the complaining, so make sure they've got the right insurance when
0:17:59 > 0:18:06they come to collect the parcel before you pay for their services.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10So there you have it, everything you need to know to make your
0:18:10 > 0:18:13parcel deliveries problem-free.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And I think with a little bit of practice I would have made
0:18:16 > 0:18:18a good courier.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23I'm what you call a safe pair of hands.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Leave it to the professionals, Rhod.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31A few weeks ago we told you about the huge number of complaints
0:18:31 > 0:18:36we've had about companies selling the government's Green Deal.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40One of them was from 88-year-old Anita Juliff from Mountain Ash.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44A Swansea company called First Choice Energy offered her
0:18:44 > 0:18:48external wall insulation to help get rid of her damp, but first she had
0:18:48 > 0:18:54to pay for an expensive Energy Performance Certificate.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It's only the ?300 cheque I done.
0:18:57 > 0:19:08I wrote it out for him and, well, that was the end of that.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The company then took four months to send out her certificate.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Two days later, the Green Deal was scrapped
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and First Choice Energy went bust.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Anita had lost her money and any hope of a cheap deal
0:19:18 > 0:19:20on her insulation.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24But after we featured her story, a kind viewer sent Anita
0:19:24 > 0:19:31a ?300 cheque to replace the money she'd lost and she is delighted.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Well, now, back, to our investigation into the man behind
0:19:34 > 0:19:37a Monmouthshire letting agency.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Neil Bradbury was the tenant from hell.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45He left this family home a wreck, owing thousands in back rent
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and legal bills.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50He wasn't returning my mum's phone calls.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52He wasn't paying his rent.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Landlords and tenants who rented through his Chepstow-based
0:19:56 > 0:20:01businesses didn't fare much better.
0:20:01 > 0:20:08I've come to meet software developer Simon Jackson who rented
0:20:08 > 0:20:15a flat with his girlfriend in Chepstow in August 2013.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17At first they seemed fairly professional.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21There was no hint at all there were going to be any problems.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25But it was a different story when they moved out 15 months later
0:20:25 > 0:20:29and wanted their ?830 deposit back.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33After about two weeks or so, he said it should have been paid
0:20:33 > 0:20:34and it hadn't.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I checked my account many times.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40He said he would pay it in a week or so and then I started
0:20:40 > 0:20:42to phone him, keep pestering him.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44"I'll pay it, I'll pay it".
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Every time he said he would pay it and it just never materialised.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51And then, after a while, he stopped answering his phone and you
0:20:51 > 0:20:54just couldn't get through at all.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57I started to notice there was never anyone in the office.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00The post built up in a big pile underneath the door and you could
0:21:00 > 0:21:03see no-one had been in there.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Simon eventually tracked Neil Bradbury down on Facebook
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and he got a response.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12I think it was just my constant pestering of him.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15He said he'd pay me instalments and he finally made an instalment.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19We got ?100 and then he went quiet again.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23For Simon it's meant months of hardship.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26We had to cut back on the way we live so we couldn't
0:21:26 > 0:21:29really go out or anything, spend less on food and things,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32until you can earn back that money.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37This should never have happened.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41These laws say that letting agents must place deposits in a secure
0:21:41 > 0:21:45scheme but that didn't happen.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Simon's deposit was never protected.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55And even when Neil Bradbury did use a deposit protection scheme,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58people still lost out.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06When Mark Chadwick and his family moved overseas,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11they thought Celtic Lettings were the ideal people to let his house.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15We got some blurb from them and, on the face of it, they looked pretty
0:22:15 > 0:22:18good and to begin with they were.
0:22:18 > 0:22:24When they came back in December 2013, the house had been damaged
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but the deposit should have covered the ?1,000 bill.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32All along we thought, well, it's not a big problem because we were going
0:22:32 > 0:22:35All along we thought, well, it's not a big problem because we were going
0:22:35 > 0:22:37to get the money to cover it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39It's been assessed by an independent third party, that's the level
0:22:39 > 0:22:44of damage, so even though it's not nice, it's not a big problem.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49But the money was slow to arrive.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Chased it a number of times, thought nothing of it really
0:22:53 > 0:22:57because I understand these sometimes take a few months to resolve.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02He told me that the bond was in dispute with the tenants.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06This went on for months and months and months.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08And in the end it got to this point where I
0:23:08 > 0:23:12couldn't get hold of him, which you can imagine was very frustrating.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15After chasing the money for more than a year, Mark contacted the
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Deposit Protection Service direct.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21He was shocked by what they told him.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26There was no dispute and they paid the full amount back to Mr Bradbury.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The deposit scheme had done its job.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33It looked after the money and paid out for the damage to the house.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36But Neil Bradbury had held onto it.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42Mark confronted him about the missing money.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I did get an email back saying, "I'm sorry but I can't find this in
0:23:45 > 0:23:48"my records.
0:23:48 > 0:23:54"I don't know what's happened.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56"I will pay you the money back".
0:23:56 > 0:23:58And then nothing.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So is Neil Bradbury just going to get away with it?
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Mark is worried he might.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I feel very strongly that it's wrong that he's taken my money,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09he's taken other people's money, with no accountability,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and he's still walking the streets.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Turns out he's been doing more than just walking the streets.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21He's been setting up new companies.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26We wanted to ask him what was going on.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29First we head to an address in Caldicot.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Neil Bradbury, we're from BBC Wales' X-Ray programme.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The people inside tell us he no longer lives there.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Next we go looking for his new company.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45He gave his address as this office block near Chepstow.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I'm after Neil Bradbury.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51This was once his mailing address but, guess what,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55they say he didn't pay the bills.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01There's one final address used by his most recent business.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The company is registered at the offices
0:25:04 > 0:25:12of his old lettings agency, which is being turned into a flooring shop.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Excuse me, do you know where I can find Neil Bradbury?
0:25:17 > 0:25:22No sign of him here either, but we're not the only ones after him.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25There's a pile of post and we're told police and trading
0:25:25 > 0:25:28standards are investigating.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32The elusive Neil Bradbury there.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37And we've had absolutely no response to the questions we've put to him.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40So if you know where he is, do let us know.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44The only small bit of good news is that Simon has now had the rest of
0:25:44 > 0:25:51his deposit back after his landlord gave him ?700 out of his own pocket.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Eleri Griffiths is here from Shelter Cymru.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Eleri, this seems pretty shocking to me.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58What do you make of this case?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It is shocking.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03What it isn't is uncommon, and routinely as case workers we do
0:26:03 > 0:26:06see a lot of cases where either the landlord or agent isn't protecting
0:26:06 > 0:26:10the deposit, isn't providing the required information or isn't
0:26:10 > 0:26:13complying with what they need to do at the end of
0:26:13 > 0:26:15the tenancy to return the deposit.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17How can this happen, though?
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Aren't deposit protection schemes supposed to look
0:26:19 > 0:26:21after tenants' money?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24When it works, it works reasonably well.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26The problem is that a scheme can't operate
0:26:26 > 0:26:30and regulate a landlord who hasn't protected the deposit in that scheme
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and that then leaves the tenant only with one recourse, which, of course,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35is the court system.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39And a new law for Wales on this is coming in on the 23rd
0:26:39 > 0:26:40of November, isn't it?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Is that going to make a difference?
0:26:43 > 0:26:48Well, the new law is a great step in Wales and, really, what it looks
0:26:48 > 0:26:52at is regulating, licensing and accrediting landlords and agents.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54The problem that we've seen is that the law
0:26:54 > 0:26:58in relation to tenancy deposits has been in force for some time now and
0:26:58 > 0:27:00we are still seeing issues arise.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Hopefully, this new law, this new regulation and accreditation
0:27:02 > 0:27:04training, will help with that.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06So what's your advice?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08How can tenants protect themselves?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11What I would say is, when you move into a property, make sure you get
0:27:11 > 0:27:15an inventory done - photographs, any receipts or payments that you've
0:27:15 > 0:27:18made, show your bank statements if you have to in regards to rent
0:27:18 > 0:27:21payments, make sure you've got everything that you need so that you
0:27:21 > 0:27:26can go to the tenancy deposit scheme or, if you have to, a judge, and
0:27:26 > 0:27:29show that you have actually made these payments and that what the
0:27:29 > 0:27:33landlord is claiming perhaps he shouldn't be. Eleri, thank you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35And that's it for tonight.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Next week:
0:27:37 > 0:27:42The piano teacher who took thousands in fees from her young pupils for
0:27:42 > 0:27:47exams that turned out to be fake.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51There had been no examinations, no grade 2, no grade 3.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55It was a complete sham.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58In the meantime, if you've got a story you want us to
0:27:58 > 0:28:00investigate, get in touch.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Call us on 03703 334 334.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07We're here until 8.30pm.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Or you can email us at xray@bbc.co.uk
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and you can follow us on Twitter.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14See you next Monday.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Bye.