MFI is a group of current/ex tenants and local activists, conducting a public investigation into criminal landlord Mark Fortune, supporting his tenants/neighbours in disputes, and pushing for increased action from council and police against Mark Fortune. Who is Mark Fortune and why he must be restrained:
Mark Fortune is an infamous landlord, known for the neglected state of his properties (see
pictures), refusal to conduct repairs, threatening tenants who request support and defrauding them by stealing their deposits. He is also a major source of frustration for neighbours alike because of his refusal to pay for shared repairs, the indirect damage caused to neighbouring flats due to the poor infrastructure of Mark Fortune flats, and his overall bullying antics. In 2013, Mark Fortune became the first person in Scottish history to be banned from the landlord registry, literally earning the title of ‘Scotland's Worst Landlord’. These loopholes are now tightening. 2016 marked another blow to Mark Fortunes business model, because the ‘PRT Act (2016)’, acknowledged that any person renting a property for reasons of work or education is a tenant and not on holiday. This ruling applies to the vast majority of Mark Fortunes tenants and provides them with the key legal rights of a tenant renting a property by a registered landlord. Unfortunately, Mark Fortune still fails to acknowledge these tenant rights and refuses to comply with key acts. It is important to understand that the dilapidated state of his properties, and his refusal to conduct much needed repairs, not only allow him to save money, but they may help him earn more money too. Our findings show that the poor state of his fourteen known properties combined with his uncooperativeness, means that he has a disproportionately high turnover of tenants. Our findings also show that he has never returned a single deposit. Thus, in combination with this high turnover of tenants, this means that he pockets approximately £65.000-£80,000 per annum via (most likely untaxed) stolen deposits. This figure was arrived at by calculating the average tenancy length from our respondents, calculating the average deposit fee and using an estimate of the room number in the properties reported. It is clear that keeping properties in a poor condition is financially lucrative.
-------------Current Objectives---------------
Spreading awareness is a major part of our work. The more people who know about Mark Fortune and the sheer size of his list of victims, the more that can be done to stop him! We are compiling an extensive amount of personal accounts of (ex) tenants, and neighbours who have interacted with him. This is essential to understand more about how we can support tenants and neighbours alike, but also assists us in making demands for change. We are currently presenting our findings to the council and police, so that they have concrete evidence of the systematic exploitation which we have described. The MFI demands that they impose further restrictions on his operations and continuously monitor them, to reduce Mark Fortunes ability to exploit tenants and neighbours
Another objective is to unite tenants against Mark Fortune, developing a union of ‘fortune flat residents’ who are supported by local organisations (e.g. Living Rent) as well as local bodies (the police and the council). These tenants will be able to access free legal assistance to demand for their deposit to be returned, or repairs to be made. Likewise, because some neighbours have had more long-term experience in dealing with Mark Fortune, we are also working to unite neighbours, who can be a major source of assistance for each other. Furthermore, a united front of neighbours and tenants will create a collective voice that can be heard much louder by authorities with the power to make changes.
-------------Your support matters------------
For current/ex-tenant:
Your experience is important and your voice matters. Please share your opinion. The greater the response rate, the more conclusive our findings will be. The following link will direct you to a questionnaire where there is space to make complaints and voice your concern:
https://forms.gle/gupBYSuWr5UXVK8J9
The option of anonymity is provided or those who wish to raise concerns but remain anonymous. For neighbours:
We are yet to develop a complaint form specifically related to the key issues that impact you! But in the meantime, please get in touch with us with any issues you are having or have had! For the local community:
Speak to people about Mark Fortune and the action taking place. Edinburgh is a small city and Mark Fortune is a big fish here. For all you know, you may know someone who has been affected by him! Also, if you have any suggestions and information that may be of use to use, or just want to learn more about our work, get in touch here or via email [email protected]. We're a friendly bunch :)
https://www.instagram.com/mark.fortune.investigation
https://twitter.com/MFinvestigation
Articles about Mark Fortune:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-21365421 (2013)
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scum-landlord-banned-after-threatening-10111178 (2017)
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/4344111/landlord-legal-business-computers-court/ (2019)
Articles about MFI Action:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rogue-landlords-millions-targeted-fortune-21417280 (2020)
https://theferret.scot/mark-fortune-tenants-demand-action-from-authorities/ (2021)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56567517 (2021)
