Woman lay dead in flat for over 2 years but landlord kept taking rent

Agencies | London

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A landlord in the United Kingdom kept taking rent from a woman tenant even after she lay dead in the London flat for over two years.

Sixty-one-year-old Sheila Seleoane's severely decomposed body was found on the floor of her flat after nearly two-and-a-half years. She was identified by her dental records.

Three neighbours had reported her missing in 2020 and the housing society cut off her gas supply when they asked to do a gas check and got no response.

Her body was found when one of her neighbours made a call to the police. Seleoane, a former medical secretary, was last seen alive when she visited a doctor in August 2019.

The post-mortem report could not ascertain the exact cause of her death since her body had severely decomposed. Other medical report said that she was suffering from Crohn's disease and bowel inflammation.

Southwark Coroners Court was told that Seleoane had paid her last rent in August 2019. The landlord, however, reportedly kept taking rent from the tenant after her death. When she fell behind in payments for the coming months, an application was submitted for the rent to come out of her benefits.

The housing society has been slammed for not checking up on Seleoane whose body was found in her rented flat more than two years after she died. The bedroom she was found in was "extremely tidy and well-kept".

A doctor, identified as Julian Morris, said, "Any death is sad. To lie undetected for in all likelihood over two years is difficult to fathom in 2022."