A rogue landlord who was among a group of letting agents to defraud flat-hunters has been jailed.
Mohammed Moynul Haque, 47, and associates used a variety of illegal letting practices including refusing to return deposits, placing misleading adverts on SpareRoom, and denying tenants protection from eviction by issuing licenses to occupy rather than shorthold tenancy agreements.
They also engaged in a “bait and switch” tactic, advertising nice rooms which were unavailable only to offer a much worse room when the tenant had paid a deposit or arrived with a suitcase in hand.
They particularly targeted young people and newcomers to the UK who were unaccustomed to the lettings market, Tower Hamlets Council said.
Nicolae Cristinel-Stan, one of 40 tenants who testified against the group, said: “I am the victim of an eviction that was both unlawful and deeply distressing—emotionally and financially.
“Coming home to find our room emptied without warning was devastating; we felt violated and suddenly homeless.
“I was pushed around and verbally harassed by agency individuals, treated with disrespect and cruelty, which severely affected my mental health.”
Another tenant, Gibril Saine, said: “For starters, their actions had left me homeless, cheated, out of pocket, on to the cold streets. I was left to use an overdraft account facility for bed & breakfast which eventually ran out.
“I lost out on the college course I'd signed up to since I had no fixed abode to live. A lost year that was having to start from square one. You can't put a cash value to such a loss.”
MORE NEWS: Boy taken to hospital after stabbing in Poplar park
The letting agents operated under various company names, shutting down companies after receiving complaints then setting up new companies to continue their illegal activities, the council said.
Initially the trading standards team were investigating Citiside Properties Ltd.
In response to mounting complaints, Haque launched Flintons.
But throughout the enterprise from 2017 to 2020, they operated from the same address at 220 Bow Common Lane in Mile End.
Five people were sentenced on Monday and Tuesday (March 24 and 25) at Southwark Crown Court.
Haque, 47, was jailed for three years and five months after he was convicted of eight counts of fraudulent trading.
His then wife, 42-year-old Fatima Begum, was given a four-month suspended sentence for one offence of fraudulent trading.
Gonzalo Egea Gomez, 43, who the council said was manager of two of the businesses, was given a two-year suspended sentence for two offences of fraudulent trading.
Razaur Rahman Oli, 51, was convicted of fraudulent trading under his company Barrons London Ltd and was sentenced to a nine-month suspended sentence.
Nozir Ahmed, 56, operating under his company Roomshare Ltd, was convicted of two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and was given a four-month suspended sentence.
Lutfur Rahman, executive mayor of Tower Hamlets, said the sentencing "serves as a strong warning to rogue letting agents and landlords that the council will not stand by as they flout laws designed to protect renters and put our residents at risk".
He added: “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the complainants who shared their experiences in court, shedding light on how these unlawful and misleading practices have affected their lives.”
Share