ESTATE AGENT AND COUNCIL TENANT PROSECUTED OVER HOUSING FRAUD
A 59 year old Brixton woman has been prosecuted by Lambeth council for subletting the flat that she rents from the council. A London Bridge estate agents were also prosecuted for aiding and abetting the commission of the offence.
The woman tenant returned to Portugal in December 2014 and asked the estate agents to rent out the property on her behalf.
Letting agents are required to check whether the person renting out a property is entitled to do so, but in this case failed to do so and the property was rented out from December 2014 until September 2015.
Lambeth investigators received an anonymous referral in late July 2015 indicating that the woman hadn’t been seen at the property for several months.
Following an investigation and visit to the property in August 2015, sub-tenants were found there and confirmed they were paying rent at a significantly higher level than that charged by Lambeth council.
On 29 March 2016 the woman entered guilty pleas to two charges under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 and was ordered to pay Lambeth costs of £816.00 and an unlawful profit order of £6,547.44, based on the profit she made in renting out the property.
The estate agents pleaded guilty to one offence and were fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £847.00. (Source: Lambeth council press release.)
