CalculatorA Midlands letting agent has been accused of failing to return deposits to more than 100 tenants, while landlords claim they are also owed unpaid rent.

Tony Singh, whose company Morgan, Payne & Knightly (MPK) operates branches in Birmingham, Telford and Wolverhampton, faces allegations involving hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to a BBC investigation.

Several county court judgments have been made against Singh and the company over unpaid sums. Both have also been reported to Trading Standards.

Repeated attempts have been made to contact Singh, whose full name is Amun Singh Judge. No response has been received.

Deposit protection concerns

Wolverhampton Trading Standards told the BBC it had identified cases where MPK had not protected deposits through government-backed schemes, despite this being a legal requirement.

However, the authority said it took no action because the properties MPK advertised were located in neighbouring council areas.

Telford & Wrekin Council said it had found no evidence of offences under Trading Standards legislation. Birmingham City Council declined to comment.

The BBC also spoke to six former MPK employees who had worked across three branches. They claimed they never saw Singh place tenant deposits into a regulated scheme.

Several employees are understood to have left the agency amid concerns about how Singh operated the business.

Three reportedly left after a landlord discovered tenants were using one of his properties as a cannabis farm.

Questions have also been raised about the checks MPK carried out before letting that property.

Singh has not responded to requests for comment on the allegations.