A homeowner described how he was in shock when he returned home to find a new owner.
Reverend Mike Hall was working in North Wales when he received a phone call from his neighbors, informing him that someone was at his Luton home.
The vicar drove down to his property on the morning of August 21 to find a builder completing works inside his home.
The plaster from his walls was removed and all of his Furniture and curtains were removed.
The vicar later discovered his house had been sold to new owner for £131,000 by a person impersonating him.
Mr Hall told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours: ‘I bought the house back in 1990 when I had just finished university and started my first job.
Reverend Mike Hall, who had been in North Wales, drove to Luton to see a builder finishing work on his home.
“It was August 20, when my next-door neighbours called me and informed me that someone was inside my property.
“All the lights were on, and this was strange because they knew there was no one in the property. They were just curious if I had left it or sold it.
“So good neighbours they are, they called to see what was going on.
“I woke up early the next day and drove all the way to Luton, North Wales.
“I went to my front door and tried my key in it, but it wouldn’t work. A man opened the frontdoor to me.
“I pushed his to one side and got in on the property. I didn’t understand what he was doing.
“The shock at seeing the house completely demolished; all furnishings, carpets, curtains – everything – was overwhelming.
“They started to remove plaster from the walls, and the electrical wiring was beginning to be removed.
“I noticed that the ceiling in the bedroom had been taken down, and that they had begun to remove parts of the kitchen and bathroom.
Mr Hall stated that the stranger who entered his home told him he was doing work for the owner of the property. At this point, the vicar called police.
Mr Hall went to the front door of his property and found that his keys no longer worked. (Stock photo)
He continued: ‘The man said ”I am just here doing some building work” and I said ”well I haven’t sold the house this is still my property”.
“I called the police to report that my house was broken into, and that the builder had disappeared. I was left alone in the house.
“He then returned to the father of the new owner, and he was saying that he had bought the house in July, it was now my property, and you are now trespassing. Get out!”
“I said it’s not, I haven’t bought you the house at any time,” and then the police arrived.
“The father called his son and he is now the one who appears on the title deed.
‘We then tried to access the Land Registry documentation online to find out whose name appeared… and it is, in fact, as of August 4, this man’s name.
“At that point, the police stated, “Well, there’s nothing more we can do here.” This is a civil matter. You need to leave the home and contact your solicitors
Mr Hall stated that he sent Bedfordshire Police and Action Fraud notifications of the crime. However, he was informed that the matter was a civil and not a criminal matter.
He added: ‘I was frustrated. Totally frustrated. I submitted an online application to Bedfordshire Police to report a crime.
“I received an automatic reply saying that this isn’t a criminal offense, but a civil matter, as I’ve been told.”
BBC investigators discovered that Mr Hall had created a duplicate driving license and a bank account in his name. These accounts were fraudulently used for the sale of the house.
The property is legally owned by the new owners, but the original owners remain unchanged.