A former tenant who says he moved to Maidstone and ended up living in squalor for a week is hoping to get the house closed down after reporting it to Maidstone council.

John Alexander used spareroom.co.uk to find somewhere to call home and was later driven to a property in Tonbridge Road, which had been without heating for seven months.

The 47-year-old shopfitter paid £475 up front for the month only to find walls missing, lights falling from the ceilings and shoddy electric work.

Two other tenants who also lived there have since moved, while Mr Alexander has launched a bid to try and ensure the house is not rented out.

He said: “The guy picked me up from the train station. We turned up and it looked horrible.

“The description on SpareRoom was for a completely different property.

“I used spareroom.co.uk and have seen places on there before that look excellent, but this one goes against all of their rules and regulations.

“I saw the place and I was disgusted with it and I thought ‘I’m going to shut it down’.”

The room advertised at the terraced house was originally priced at £360 per month, before the landlord asked Mr Alexander for £600 instead.

Maidstone Borough Council confirmed it has been made aware of the accommodation, opposite Western Road, and has opened an investigation.

Mr Alexander moved out just six days later and found a new house share further down Tonbridge Road.

He said: “I arranged alternative digs and encouraged the other two tenants to move out as well.

“This guy has had people living in the basement. This is in Maidstone, the Garden of England.”

Despite Mr Alexander’s dreadful arrival in Maidstone, he is keen to stay and spend some time in the town.

He said: “I saw an advert for another place and moved in the same day, with the nicest bunch of people.”

Peter Vine, the landlord of the property, admitted the house was not in perfect condition but had given Mr Alexander prior warning it was being worked on.

Mr Vine confirmed the address is now empty and he is currently in the process of renovating the whole place from top to bottom.

The kitchen and bathrooms are being upgraded while new windows are also being installed.
Mr Vine also confirmed the house had no heating for seven months because of an underlying issue with pipes.

He said: “John Alexander said his room was a mess, but there are a lot worse houses than mine and it is being done up now.

“The house had hot water. I did the bathroom but the plumbing was wrong.

“I agree it isn’t right but it is being done now. I said you don’t need heating in the summer.

“He was warned that work was going to be done and if he wasn’t happy with it then he could find somewhere else.”