RENTERS in London took part in a “phone-banking picket” yesterday after a Romford-based letting agency allegedly refused to repay a tenant thousands of pounds for a property she never lived in.

The London Renters Union (LRU) claim Advance Estates pushed the tenant into an agreement that required her to pony up six months’ worth of rent, totalling £4,800, up front last March in order to reserve a property in the area.

The tenant, who wishes only to be known as Mary, is in her 50s, suffers from anxiety and depression and is currently claiming housing benefit.