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Legal News

Community order for Birmingham housing fraud (15 May 2017)

Date: 15/05/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Community order for Birmingham housing fraud

Birmingham City Council has prosecuted a woman who lied to try and obtain a council house, despite already owning two properties.

On Thursday 11 May at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, Afshan Sultan, 35, of Blakesley Road, Yardley in Birmingham pleaded guilty to two charges of providing false information on a housing application form – and one charge of failing to inform the council of a change in her circumstances while her application was live.

She was given a community order for 180 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £1,523.13 and a victim surcharge of £80.

The court heard that when Sultan completed her initial housing application form she already owned a house, which she was renting out. She then bought another house for her extended family while her application was live and failed to disclose this.

Investigating officers discovered that she was linked to other properties and stopped her application before deciding to prosecute her.

After sentencing, Birmingham City Council’s director of housing, Robert James, said:

“At a time when we have thousands of genuinely homeless families in Birmingham in dire need of a council house, Sultan decided to try and exploit the system despite owning two houses.

“Today’s sentencing sends out a clear message – we take tenancy fraud allegations seriously and we will prosecute.”


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