A landlord who rents a property to those in need of emergency housing through Hillingdon Council has been left in the red after not being paid for four months.

Mukhtar Ali, 53, rents a property in Hollywood Gardens, Hayes in partnership with the council, but despite being on a rent-guarantee scheme he has not been paid by letting agents Orchard and Shipman.

Mr Ali, an accountant who lives in Iver, is angry that he has not been provided with any rent, and believes the company has been avoiding his efforts to get in touch with them.

He said: "I have not been paid and this has been going on for four months now. The council are sympathetic with me, it seems like the company are going out of their way not to speak to me.

"I have been promised responses which never arrived.

"I have rented to the council for over 20 years and never had a problem like this before, now my accounts are in the red.

Only after numerous complaints and phone calls to the council and Orchard and Shipman, is Mr Ali seeing signs that his money is going to re-emerge.

"I am owed £4,000 in total which they are now finally sorting out, but I will be asking for compensation for the stress and anxiety they have caused me, I'm very angry at the way I have been treated."

He also believes that the company owe money to other landlords and is urging people to check their accounts to make sure they have received their money.

"My advice to landlords is to complain if they are not being treated right, and scrutinise their rent payments.

"The council needs to get a handle on this, I am in a partnership with them, and the last thing that needs to be happening is for this company to scare away their landlords."

Orchard and Shipman, who have an office in Vine Street, Uxbridge, are also set to incur a fine from Companies House, the UK government register for companies for filing their annual reports late.

Companies House confirmed that they have not received their annual report which was due on October 31, and they will be writing to them to advise them of this, but stressed that it did not necessarily imply the company was experiencing financial difficulties.

Neil Stubbings, head of housing, said: "We hold regular meetings with contractors to discuss any problems.

"This is an unfortunate case and we will be working with Orchard and Shipman to resolve the issue."

Orchard and Shipman failed to comment before the Gazette went to press.