Housing Solicitors

A former Luton Council housing officer has been convicted of tenancy fraud, after pleading guilty to making a false statement in order to obtain social housing from Luton Borough Council.

Mohammed Enamul Haque, 35, of Griggs Gardens in Luton previously worked for Luton Council and submitted an application for social housing in which he lied about his personal circumstances.

Haque claimed he was living with relatives who were in the process of evicting him, saying this would mean that his wife and two children would become homeless.

He also stated that he had only £1,000 in savings – and that his only income was from working for Luton Borough Council.

However, following enquiries conducted by Bedford Borough Council's investigation service – working on behalf of Luton Borough Council to identify Haque’s true circumstances – these claims were exposed as being utterly false.

Haque’s family had been living in privately rented accommodation and were not at any risk of being made homeless, council officers discovered.

The investigation also discovered that Haque held savings of over £9,000 – and had received over £44,000 from Fonebank.com in the 13 months leading up to obtaining a council property.

At a sentencing hearing in May 2017, Haque was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and pay prosecution costs of £250.

The court heard that, by committing the offence, Haque had taken a property from a genuinely homeless family who would have been in much more need of it and as a result might have ended up in high-cost, temporary accommodation.

After sentencing, Service Director for housing at Luton Borough Council, Patrick Odling-Smee, said:

“Whichever way you look at it, this was a simple case of fraud – what made matters worse was the fact that it was committed by someone in a position of trust within the council housing system itself.

“Often people imagine there are no victims in this kind of situation – on the contrary, the victims are those who have a genuine need and right to the property that was taken by deception.

“In addition, taxpayers’ money has been misdirected, when it should have been used to help the vulnerable.

“The result of this case underlines the simple message – we will use all our powers to prosecute criminals and defend the vulnerable. The housing association will now be taking action to evict them from the house they obtained fraudulently.”

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors can advise on a wide range of housing law, including advising developers and self builders on planning permissions and planning appeals.

There are Duncan Lewis offices across England and Wales and our housing team is also able to advise on:

• Debt management for homeowners
• Disrepair of rented property
• Housing Benefit
• Housing possession
• Landlords’ obligations
• Landlord and tenant disputes
• Lease extensions
• Local Authority housing
• Mortgage repossession
• Notice to quit
• Nuisance neighbours
• Right to Buy
• Right to Rent checks
• Tenancy agreements
• Unlawful eviction.

For expert legal advice on housing law, call Duncan Lewis housing solicitors on 0333 772 0409.