Flat share that never was

They handed over nearly £11,000 between them to live in the property - only to discover the real landlord knew nothing about the deals.

Some of them were left in tears after turning up with removal vans to move into the apartment in Clapham at the same time.

The couples had met a man calling himself "David" or "Martin" at the onebedroom flat and were told various stories about why it had become available.

He even produced fake contracts for them to sign before taking between £800 and £2,000 in cash from each of them for the deposit and first month's rent.

Miriam Nelken and her husband Bishwo Shahi were the first to arrive and move their belongings into the flat on Sunday after initially spotting it advertised on the Gumtree website.

Ms Nelken, 32, an arts development officer for Kensington and Chelsea council, said: "Just as we were settling in, the others began to arrive and let themselves in. It was awful.

"One of us called the man's mobile but he just blew a raspberry down the phone and hung up. It's been switched off ever since."

Ms Nelken managed to contact a man claiming to be the agent for the real owner through other tenants in the block in St John's Hill.

The man, who would only give his name as "Ali", told her they must have been conned by the previous tenant - a "Polish woman living there with her boyfriend".

Ms Nelken and her husband contacted police and are now staying at her sister's home in Chislehurst, Kent, as they struggle to find a new home.

She said: "The agent said that none of us had given any money to the real landlord and we had no right to be there. I just want to warn other people so that it doesn't happen to them."

Software engineer Ben Walker, 25, and his girlfriend also fell victim to the ruse.

Hesaid: "The contract we signed is not worth the paper it's written on. We have lost all this money just before Christmas and we have no home to go to."

According to the Land Registry, the block is owned by Golfrate Property Management in Wimbledon. Bosses there refused to comment.

When the Evening Standard contacted "Ali" he said he had photocopies of the Polish woman's passport and bank statements which he would pass on to police.

He added: "We let it to a Polish girl in the proper way and these people have taken their money. They should have known something was up when the rent was only £800 a month because properties like this in that area go for at least £1,200. These people have not given us any money and naturally we will advertise it again for rent."

Similar scams are a problem across London, with unsuspecting tenants handing over cash only to find they have been conned. Police advise people to go through recognised letting agents and to thoroughly check out private landlords before handing over any money.

Scotland Yard confirmed that allegations of fraud were being investigated by Wandsworth CID. A spokeswoman said: "If anyone knows anything about this we would urge them to contact us."

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8247 8888.