A Merton landlord has abandoned the conventional calendar, instead charging unsuspecting residents 53 weeks rent in a year.

Perplexed tenants noticed the additional amount taken from their accounts, but Wandle Housing claims rent is being collected fairly.

With a year’s rent broken into weekly payments, tenants slowly fall into arrears until a 53rd week needs to be added to their bill to compensate - happening on average, once every seven years.

But residents are claiming the system is “mind-boggling” and some still believe they are being overcharged.

George Toft, 86, of Hyde House, Raynes Park, said: “I’ve been a senior administrating officer for the Foreign Office and I know what I’m talking about.

"Never before have seen money taken from accounts in a way like this.

“I’ve spoken to Age Concern and they agree that something is very wrong.

"Why should we be charged for something that doesn’t even exist?”

Mr Toft added that in his experience, the additional rent was being taken without consultation and too often - every five years and not seven.

He also voiced concern that residents were being forced to pay up to a month in advance.

A spokesman for Wandle Housing insisted that charging a 53rd week’s rent was common practice among social landlords.

She said: “All of our tenancies are set out in law.

"Residents also have to give an advance on their rent and its good practice employed by all housing associations.

“The bottom line is that we’re not overcharging our residents.”

She added: “If residents have queries about how their rent is set or charged we would like them to call our customer services team on freephone 0800 730 2030 who will be able to put them through to an income officer.”

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