Rogue property boss living high life in Bali while owing thousands to people he put up in derelict buildings in UK
The rogue boss of a property firm charging struggling workers to live in derelict schools and warehouses has fled abroad owing them tens of thousands
THE rogue boss of a property firm charging struggling workers to live in derelict buildings is living the high life in Bali while owing tens of thousands to people in the UK.
Joe Askins, 36, controlled one of dozens of unregulated companies renting out derelict properties to people who cannot afford private homes.
The schemes are advertised as cheaper ways to live - mainly in London - with renters described as "property guardians" who can still be charged up to £1,000-a-month.
They do not have regular tenancy agreements, meaning there is no deposit protection, so they can be kicked out of properties at shorter notice than normal renters.
Askins' firm Newbould Guardians - which rented out derelict properties including council-owned schools - went bust in August 2016 owing people £41,321 in deposits, meaning scores lost their £500 deposit.
But months before shutting down Askins set up a new firm – simply changing the name by a single letter to Newbold Guardians.
Askins, originally from Telford, Shropshire, is then said to have issued new licence agreements under the altered company name to existing guardians.
Once they began leaving properties they discovered their deposits sat with the old, bust Newbould company.
He appears to have since enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with regular family trips to Indonesia and skiing holidays in Italy before settling in Bali.
Social media accounts suggest that Askins and his wife Erni, 34, are now running a resort bar and flea market business in Bali with new images uploaded just days ago.
I pay £435-a-month to live in an old police station
Handyman Rex Duis, 37, a property guardian for nine years lives in an old police station under VPS Guardians in Finchley, North London.
He said: "Guardianship is not as cheap as it used to be.
"I’m paying almost double what I was paying when I first started.
"I would love to have my own place but it is out of the question.
"I recently moved from living in an old pub because that was really run down.
"It had a leaky roof and it was damp and mouldy."
There is no suggestion VPS Guardians have behaved in any improper way.
Snaps show him dressed in traditional south-east Asian clothes and enjoying dinners with champagne in Indonesia.
A 2016 Indonesian news report revealed he had set up the Bali business months before putting his property guardian company into liquidation owing £222,549.
One former Newbould guardian, who lost a £500 deposit when the company folded, said: "It sickens me to see how he is living a life and setting up a business in Bali - this guy has no shame."
Another, Rosie Smith, a 34-year-old youth worker from East London, claims Newbould refused to hand back her deposit when the company went bust.
MPs and campaigners are now calling for tighter regulation of the industry to protect the thousands of guardians across the country - with up to 7,000 in alone.
'We've got everything we need'
Nanny Poppy Kerr, 24, has been a property guardian for almost five years and now pays £450-a-month to firm Oaksure to live in an old whisky distillery in Shoreditch, East London.
She said: "I’m living in Shoreditch now, which is right next to the station, which is amazing.
"There are 33 rooms in the building over four floors.
"They are really big rooms and we have a room each.
"We have central heating, water on each floor, toilets and showers.
"There are 12 people on my floor and we’ve got two showers and one toilet and a kitchen. "
There is no suggestion Oaksure have behaved in any improper way.
In a statement to The Sun the government has denounced the schemes and revealed it will be issuing fresh advice on the practice.
Labour MP Clive Betts, chair of Parliament's Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said: "When you are desperate for housing, like many are in London, people can easily walk into this and find they have no security or rights at all.”
A source close to the company told how the industry boomed during the financial crash with unregulated firms seeing the schemes as a "licence to print money".
The insider added: "It's unregulated so anyone can start a guardian business and draw up a licence agreement to occupy properties.
“Askins was a rogue in that he had no intention of honouring the money he owed to people – suppliers, electricians, plumbers, they were small fry compared to the guardians.
“They all thought the deposits were safe but because it’s unregulated they were not protected and he spent the guardians’ bond money basically.”
What are property guardians?
Guardians are used in large groups to secure properties, meaning landlords do not have to pay tens of thousands for security or can claim 90 per cent reductions in property rates on empty buildings.
But many renters have complained of leaking roofs, poor conditions and ruthless companies taking advantage of their financial plight.
One told a reporter how rats had infested their property with water leaking in from the roof but that the guardian firm had failed to tackle the issue.
Councils across London and private landlords are allowing the companies to rent out an increasing number of empty buildings with up to 7,000 property guardians - almost double the figure of three years ago.
We found companies currently advertising to live in derelict school buildings, youth centres and empty flats for up to £750-a-month with deposits as high as £900 and admin charges of more than £150.
And with London rental prices having increased by more than 60 per cent in some areas over the last decade - meaning a similar one-bedroom space could be at least double the guardian price - it is thought the guardianship trend will continue to grow.
But experts have warned guardians are vulnerable as they do not have adequate protections including for deposits which can be over £1,000 and average around £550, according to a recent report.
Firms can install temporary showers and kitchens to re-classify buildings as domestic use - slashing business rates.
But some guardians have told how companies do not provide heating - instead requiring renters to buy electric heaters and even fire safety equipment while still paying utility bills on top.
And the cost of occupying abandoned buildings as guardians has risen sharply in the more than ten years the schemes have been operating.
Renters used to pay a nominal fee of £100-200 per month to occupy a building and help secure it but now rents average just under £500 across London.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said they "do not endorse property guardianship as people can be left to live in poor conditions" and pledged to issue new advice.
While Green Party councillor Sian Berry, chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, said: "Most property guardians are working people on lower than average wages, who don’t have any other housing alternatives.
"The contracts they sign up to can include clauses that deny them basic human rights, like the ability to speak out if they are treated badly.
"They are 'licensees', not tenants, so risk losing deposits when property guardian firms go bust, just as has happened on this occasion."
Askins failed to respond to the Sun Online and is currently the director of the re-named firm New Century Guardians with a postal address in Central London.
More Sun investigations
Southwark Council, whose logo appears on the firm's New Century Guardians website, said they had cut all ties and were seeking to have their branding removed after being alerted by The Sun.
A spokeswoman for Greenwich Council said they had no option but to write-off the £71,644 owed by Newbould when the company went into liquidation.
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