THE National Landlords Association has condemned the naming and shaming of “rent dodgers” as a “recipe for disaster” which will damage landlords’ reputations.

The NLA is the leading representative body for private residential landlords and spoke out against the tactic of erecting “naming and shaming” signs on the properties of those tenants who have failed to pay their rent.

Earlier this week, the Daily Post revealed how Sutton Estates, based in Liverpool, had put up signs outside two houses in Merseyside.

The signs say “rent dodger lives here” and have a shadowy image of a man running off and have proved to be a controversial new tactic in dealing with “serial non-payers”.

And although they have courted controversy, Neil Heffey, a partner in the estate agents, said he plans to continue with the hardline approach.

The signs are intended to embarrass the tenant into either paying up or moving out, but legal experts have said the agents could be opening themselves up to possible legal action.

But Mr Heffey insisted they would treat all cases individually and they would not target genuine cases of hardship.