Heavy fines or a long jail term for the boss of fraudulent Oxford letting agent Charles Lawson have been welcomed by the head of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme as sending the right message to rogue agents in the Private Rented Sector.

“At last it seems the courts are taking letting agent fraud seriously and handing down deterrent sentences,” said Steve Harriott, Chief Executive of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. “For too long, courts have been imposing lenient sentences on agents who steal tenants’ deposits and landlords’ rents and management floats.”

Zulfigar Hussain of Charles Lawson Lettings and James C Penny, his letting agency businesses in Oxford, was recently sentenced to pay over £300,000 in fines, compensation and penalties under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Any failure to repay his victims within six months will result in three years in jail and Hussain was also given a nine month sentence suspended for two years.

This is in contrast to the suspended jail sentences handed down last autumn to the owners of Worcester based Premier Places. At the time these were described by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme Chief Executive as “A kick in the teeth” for the defrauded tenants and landlords.

“Every step taken to hound the very small minority of fraudulent agents who rob tenants and landlords and destroy confidence in the great majority of letting agents who are professional, honest and ethical helps the whole industry,” said Steve Harriott. “The reputation of the regulated professionals in the Private Rented Sector must be protected.”