Housing Solicitors

Wood Green Crown Court in north London has jailed a council tenant found to be illegally subletting his three-bedroom council house in Canning Town, east London.

The Newham Recorder reports that Mubato Nzabi, 48, sublet the property in Ordnance Road, Canning Town from April 2013, after being given the flat in 1994.

He was prosecuted for benefit fraud, council tax evasion and illegally subletting under the Fraud Act and the Social Security Administration Act –
and was sentence to 24 months in jail.

Nzabi had originally lived in the flat with his daughter. The court heard that he had sublet the property to a family in 2013, but did not advise Newham Council and the Department of Work and Pensions that he had moved out.

He continued to claim housing and council tax benefits using the address – but the fraud was detected during a routine council check, to ensure that the correct tenants were living in the council properties allocated to them.

Mayoral advisor for housing, Councillor Andrew Baikie, said:

“This successful prosecution shows that we take illegal subletting very seriously – and will take tough action against anyone we catch.

“Illegally subletting council properties unfairly deprives someone else of a council house, who may have been waiting on our register for a long time. It is imperative that our housing stock is distributed fairly.”

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors can advise public sector housing tenants on a wide range of housing matters – including Local Authority housing, housing possession, housing fraud and council’s obligation to re-house.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide – and our housing law solicitors can also advise on housing benefit and disrepair of rented property.

For expert legal advice on housing law, call Duncan Lewis housing solicitors on 020 7923 4020.