Cody Gakpo has found himself at the center of a bizarre row after the Liverpool star was accused of being a negligent and absentee landlord.
Gakpo, 24, has scored 21 times in 74 games since moving to Anfield from PSV in January 2023, while he is also a key player for the Netherlands.
The striker is believed to be on wages of around £130,000 a week and reports in Dutch regional newspaper De Limburger claim that Gakpo has built up a substantial property portfolio in five different cities in the south of the Netherlands – Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Roermond, Weert and Geleen.
Gakpo owns this set of properties under his company Samaritan, where he is listed as the sole shareholder.
However, according to The mirrorAngry residents have criticized the condition of their homes, insisting they are ‘unfit for human habitation’, while others have complained of structural problems, pests and an inadequate repair process.
Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has been accused of being a negligent and absentee landlord
Angry residents have criticized the condition of their homes, claiming they are ‘unfit for human habitation’, while others have complained of structural problems and pests. )
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To add to the controversy, despite major flaws, the rental agent working on behalf of Gakpo is reportedly charging rental prices that are higher than market prices.
For example, an apartment that is damp and full of mold costs €875 per month (£754), while another apartment is so small that tenants have to walk sideways to get through the front door, while the price is €850. – per month (£733), with the average monthly rent in the area being around €560 (£500).
More claims in De Limburger say that Gakpo, a devout Christian, uses Stefan Stals of Elevate Finance as a managing agent, with Stals in charge of handling tenant issues and collecting rent.
Stals was forced to deny suggestions that the properties were riddled with rat problems and also said all maintenance requests were dealt with promptly.
However, Stals confirmed that he had not checked the condition of all eleven apartments that Gakpo owns in Roermond, instead of just four, and he also revealed that claims of a mouse infestation were true.
Stals says: ‘There was a nuisance from mice. We had them exterminated. The maintenance condition of the building is good.’
Meanwhile, photographs published by De Limburger appear to support the staggering allegations, including evidence of dead mice rotting in properties, moldy walls, holes in the plaster and loose cables.
Resident Ricardo Silva told De Limburger: ‘As a result, a rat invaded my living room. It terrified me.
‘I saw him running. It was a rat with a long tail. It definitely wasn’t a mouse.’
Dewi Kouwenberg, another resident, adds: ‘Do you see the gnawing marks on my sofa here? I actually don’t dare to be here.’
The manager who engages Gakpo for the properties is receiving serious criticism
Both Liverpool and Gakpo’s football agent, Kees Ploegsma, declined to comment on the row
Elevate Finance, where Stals works, has subsequently received legal letters from tenants pleading to improve the conditions of their homes, but so far they have reportedly received no response.
The situation has reportedly become so bad that tenants now no longer store food in cupboards due to the harsh conditions and lack of effective pest control.
Both Liverpool FC and Gakpo’s football agent, Kees Ploegsma, declined to comment on the row when contacted by The Mirror.
The Reds reportedly believe that this issue is a personal matter for their striker, while Ploegsma claimed that the responsibility for maintaining the properties lies with the management company acting on Gakpo’s behalf.