A number of lettings agents have been hit with a range of sentences in one of the longest and most complex Trading Standards prosecutions in the UK.
Five individuals were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court following their convictions of a total of 15 offences in November 2024, prosecuted by Tower Hamlets council.
The sentencing follows an extensive investigation into rogue letting agents by Tower Hamlets’ trading standards officers.
The agents operated under various company names, staging operations to seize equipment as proof of their illegal and unjust practices and pursuing complaints made by residents.
The agents particularly targeted young people and newcomers to the UK, including workers and students, who had recently arrived in London and were unaccustomed to the UK lettings market.
The agents relied on a variety of unfair and illegal letting practices, including: failing to securely protect or refusing to return tenants’ deposits, placing misleading advertisements on platforms such as Spareroom, and issuing licenses to occupy instead of assured shorthold tenancy agreements in an effort to deny tenants their legal rights, such as protection from eviction without a court order.
They also regularly engaged in “bait and switch” advertising of rooms, where they would advertise nice rooms that were unavailable, only to offer much worse accommodation after the tenant had agreed and paid a deposit, and in some cases, had recently arrived with a suitcase in hand to move into the original agreed property.
Summary of the convictions and the sentences:
- Mohammed Moynul Haque has been sentenced to three years and five months of immediate custody, plus a 10-year director disqualification. He was found guilty of four counts of fraudulent trading and two breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Haque, who had been charged on all eight counts on the indictment, operated several of the companies that were the vehicles for the fraudulent activity. Evidence showed substantial sums of money moving between his personal accounts, the companies, and other companies which he ran or had an interest in.
- Haque’s then wife, Fatima Begum, has been sentenced to a four-month prison sentence (suspended for six months), three-month curfew, and two-year disqualification. She was found guilty of one offence of fraudulent trading.
- Gonzalo Gomez Egea, has been sentenced to two years’ custody (suspended for two years), 180 hours of unpaid work, and four-year disqualification. Gonzalo was a manager of two of the businesses and was found guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading.
- Razaur Rahman Oli has been sentenced to a nine-month prison sentence (suspended for 12 months), three-month curfew, and four-year disqualification. He was convicted of fraudulent trading under his company Barrons London Ltd, and an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 respectively.
- Nozir Ahmed has been handed a four-month prison sentence (suspended for 12 months), 150 hours of unpaid work, and two-year disqualification. Operating under his company, Roomshare Ltd, he was convicted of two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
A council spokesperson says: “Today’s 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.
“Letting agents and landlords are accountable for ensuring that the properties they rent are accurately represented and comply with all relevant regulations.
“We are putting those who fail to do so on notice: if you exploit our residents or jeopardise their safety, the council will do whatever it takes to bring your case to justice.”
