Rogue letting agents who targeted newcomers to the UK have been sentenced to time in prison after being found guilty of a total of 15 offences in November 2024
The five individuals were prosecuted by Tower Hamlets Council after an extensive investigation into rogue letting agents by Tower Hamlets Council’s trading standards officers. The officers pursued the letting agents, who operated under various company names, staging operations to seize equipment as proof of their illegal and unjust practices and pursuing complaints made by residents.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “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.
“This case underscores the critical need for rigorous enforcement of regulations and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to clamping down on rogue landlords and letting agents who act with disregard for the law in pursuit of profit.”
The letting agents targeted young people and newcomers to the UK, including workers and students, who had recently arrived in London and 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.
Mohammed Moynul Haque has been sentenced to three years and five months of immediate custody, plus a 10-year director disqualification. 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. Gonzalo Gomez Egea, has been sentenced to two years’ custody (suspended for two years), 180 hours of unpaid work, and four-year disqualification. Razaur Rahman Oli has been sentenced to a nine-month prison sentence (suspended for 12 months), three-month curfew, and four-year disqualification. Nozir Ahmed has been handed a four-month prison sentence (suspended for 12 months), 150 hours of unpaid work, and two-year disqualification.
