A man is still fighting to get his house back more than a year after it was sold without his knowledge. Reverend Mike Hall discovered his Luton property had been stripped of all furnishings in August 2021 when a new owner answered the door.
Mr Hall, who bought the house in 1990, was working in north Wales when neighbours alerted him that someone was inside. He drove home to find building work under way and a man claiming to have purchased the property.
An investigation by BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme uncovered the identity theft used to sell the house. A fake driving licence, a bank account set up in Mr Hall's name, and phone recordings of an impersonator instructing solicitors were obtained. The house was sold for £131,000 to an unwitting buyer.
Mr Hall has applied to the Land Registry to have the property transferred back into his name, but the process has been protracted. The new owners are contesting the appeal, which may lead to a legal tribunal.
Since Mr Hall's case, another victim has come forward. Angus Penfound's Southampton terraced house was sold without his knowledge in July 2021 after a criminal posed as a tenant. The property, bought for £180,000 in 2018, was sold for £196,000. Mr Penfound is seeking compensation from the Land Registry.
Land Registry figures show it paid nearly £7m for 598 fraud claims in 2021-22, up from £5.44m for 540 claims the previous year. Caroline Nokes, Mr Penfound's MP, expressed alarm, and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt pledged to press the Land Registry to improve its handling of identity theft cases.
