A disabled Harpenden man has become a homeless statistic after his landlady cruelly evicted him for not paying more rent.

Scott Anderson had been paying £695 a month to rent a bungalow on Roundwood Lane for four years when he suddenly received a demand to pay an additional £200.

Luton-based landlady Geraldine Ring sent him a personal letter saying she wanted to “bring the rent closer in line with market rental prices” of between £900 and £1,100 a month.

But Scott, 38, refused to pay more “on principle” because of severe damp and mould throughout the bungalow, covering the ceiling, walls and furniture.

Scott is registered as disabled as he has limited mobility as a result of fracturing his spine in three places after tumbling down stairs.

He said that when he began renting the property, the agreement had been that he would not be charged more if he put up with the conditions.

Scott said he had asked his landlady to make improvements as his allergies were made worse by the damp problem, but “she hasn’t done any work at all”.

When he complained to St Albans district council last year about the poor condition of the bungalow a housing officer told him Geraldine had been informed of the lack of loft and wall insulation and the need for better and more controllable heating.

In April he was served an eviction notice from Ms Ring, after he refused to pay the additional £200 she demanded.

She then went to the county court and obtained an order for possession of the bungalow.

As a result, Scott recently moved to temporary accommodation provided by the council at Hill End Lane, and last Monday received a letter from the authority confirming his homeless status and that he was in “priority need” for housing.

Scott said: “I feel let down.”

He has since engaged a solicitor to claim compensation from Ms Ring. She refused to talk to the Herts Advertiser.