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KEYWORD "Prison" - 100 RESULTS
HMRC fines agents £1.6m for anti-money laundering breaches

It’s been revealed by Propertymark that HM Revenue & Customs has fined agents over £1.6m for branches of anti-money laundering regulations. The...

20 August 2024

From: Breaking News

Trusted lettings manager stole £30,000 from company

A court has heard that a trusted lettings manager was discovered to have been diverting company funds to her personal bank...

29 July 2024

From: Breaking News

Soaring Council Tax Arrears prompts call for new bailiff rules

Outstanding council tax arrears have soared according to new government figures. Data from he Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows...

21 June 2024

From: Breaking News

Guilty! - Fraudster letting agents duped landlords and tenants

Two London agents who traded fraudulently through their lettings business and scammed victims out of over £24,000 have been sentenced. After a...

13 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Big rise in Right To Rent fines

There’s been a rise of over 400 per cent in the monetary total of fines issued for Right To Rent offences...

15 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent penalties soar from today - up to £20,000 fine

Fines for agents and landlords who breach Right To Rent rules increase today from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier...

22 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Covid Fraud - property company bosses given suspended sentences

Two property company bosses have been sentenced following an Insolvency Service investigation which found they had abused a £30,000 Bounce Back...

20 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Fraudster agent must repay £123,000 or face more jail time

A fraudster lettings agent must repay £122,922.68 to her old firm within three months - or face yet more time in...

26 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Chancellor’s Crisis Meeting - pleas for rental help mount

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is today charing a crisis meeting of mortgage lenders, as calls mount for him to take action to...

23 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Banned! Fraudster lettings agent jailed and cannot be a director

Trading Standards has stopped a lettings agency owner from being a company director after he defrauded customers by over £80,000. Francis Smart,...

19 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Hundreds of thousands of pounds for agency whistleblowers

The Competition and Markets Authority is beefing up its enforcement work against illegal cartels and offering a reward of up to...

08 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Fraud - agency maintenance chief steals almost £100,000

A lettings agency maintenance manager stole almost £100,000 from her company - but has escaped prison. Farida Mughal was working at the...

19 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Tragic case of agent who stole cash to clear son’s drug debt

A lettings agency manager stole nearly £140,000 from her company to help clear her son’s drug debt. Wendy Dare, 57, is now...

27 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Asking rent cut after social media slams agency’s Zoopla listing

A news website is reporting that a landlord cut the asking rent of a property after social media criticism of its...

22 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Change EPCs and use stamp duty to make homes greener - call

With the private rental sector stressed at the prospect of stricter energy efficiency rules in the coming years, the body representing...

02 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents to be briefed on the latest rental reform updates

The head of the Property Redress Scheme will give agents the lowdown on the recent Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper...

19 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Too few agents know Right To Rent changes - claim

An industry supplier says the recent Right To Rent changes have flown under the radar - and many agents don’t know...

06 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Warrant for arrest of letting agent who failed to appear in court

A warrant backed without bail has been issued for the arrest of a lettings agent who failed to appear in court. Gareth Wills...

01 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency boss threatened team with violence - gets suspended sentence

The former director of a lettings agency has received a suspended jail sentence for making threats of violence against ex-colleagues in...

24 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Inventories key to ensuring agents comply with law, claims supplier

Inventories are a key tool to ensuring they, and the properties they let, comply with the law. That’s the claim from industry...

04 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency Fraudster - Suspended sentence for agent embezzling £50,000

A lettings agency employee who diverted over £50,000 of landlords’ money into his own account has been given a suspended sentence. Paul...

08 February 2022

From: Breaking News

High-level enquiry into ‘exempt’ rental accommodation

A major Select Committee of MPs has launched an enquiry into so-called exempt rental sector accommodation - a niche sector that...

09 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Rogue lettings - ex agent given suspended sentence for fraud

A six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, has been handed to a former lettings agent from Eastbourne for charges of...

16 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Banned: Rogue agency and director cannot let any property in England

A London council has secured banning orders against rogue property agents who were previously fined over £70,000 for letting an unlicensed...

28 May 2021

From: Breaking News

HMRC deadline for letting agents in just two weeks’ time - warning

There are just two weeks left for letting agents to register with HM Revenue & Customs if they want to be...

27 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Banned! Court order prohibits investor from letting properties

A landlord who persistently broke residential lettings rules has been banned from operating in a landmark legal ruling. Julie Stoddern, of Camborne,...

08 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Angry calls for ‘exempt rental accommodation’ to face regulation

There are growing calls for so-called ‘exempt accommodation’ to face the same controls that are exerted over the rest of the...

21 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Campaign against ‘exempt rental accommodation’ steps up

A Labour MP and a newspaper have joined forces to campaign against so-called ‘exempted rental accommodation’. One of Birmingham’s MPs - Jack...

30 November 2020

From: Breaking News

£100,000 compensation to be paid by rogue lettings agents

Three lettings agents who kept tenants’ rent instead of passing it to the landlords have been ordered to pay almost £100,000...

30 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Probe into rental rooms exempt from mainstream rental regulations

A local authority is launching a six month probe into rooms let out but exempt from rental sector regulation. The project is...

22 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Crooked agent escapes prison after stealing almost  £30,000

A crooked lettings agent stole almost £30,000 from dozens of clients to prevent his business from going bankrupt. Tim Catherall, of Nottinghamshire,...

28 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Terrifying: Brothers open fire on lettings agency in revenge attack

Media reports from Gateshead claim two brothers opened fire on a lettings agency with an air pistol when they were told they...

11 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Jail threat for BTL investor who falsely claimed benefits

A  buy to let investor has been sentenced to two years in prison after claiming income support despite being a professional portfolio...

03 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Suspended jail sentence after rental property’s safety failure

A landlord from Plymouth has been sentenced after failing to maintain gas appliances and failing to have landlord’s gas safety checks...

18 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Nine years’ rent confiscated after flats declared illegal

A landlord has been ordered to pay back no less than £190,000 - equivalent to nine years’ rent - after he...

27 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Porsche-driving agent crook repays just £43,000 of missing £241,000

A jailed letting agent in a long-running legal saga has now been told she must repay her victims some £43,000 -...

25 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Agent censured as council audits other firms over rental deposits

A former letting agent has been censured over the handling of tenancy deposits following an investigation by a local council. Andrew Rhys...

10 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Tenant’s secret buy to lets land him with a suspended sentence

A London council tenant who for a period of seven years failed to disclose that he owned three houses, has been...

29 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Banned! Man cannot be letting agent or landlord for 30 months

A landlord has been banned for two and half years after repeatedly putting tenants’ lives at risk by letting unsafe housing. This...

18 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Section 21 WILL be scrapped - it’s in Thursday’s Queen’s Speech

Number 10 briefings to the national media suggest that the scrapping of Section 21 - long talked about by the previous...

17 December 2019

From: Breaking News

“Worse than Scrooge!” - angry judge makes landlord pay £20,000

A landlord has been ordered to pay almost £20,000 and has been told by a judge that he was meaner than...

10 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Crooked agent steals thousands ... and pays back just £850

A north of England letting agent who conned home owners out of thousands of pounds has been ordered to pay it back...

12 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Online lettings agency at heart of money laundering crimes

Three criminals have been sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering involving an online lettings agency. The sentences follow an investigation spearheaded...

18 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Cannabis alert for private rental sector as electricity thefts surge

New analysis by Direct Line for Business reveals a surge in the number of police investigations into the theft of electricity,...

17 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Tenants and landlords may be offered energy 'theft' amnesty

Energy market regulator Ofgen is considering an amnesty for tenants and landlords, amongst others, to own up to ‘stealing’ energy through...

23 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Buy to let con-man must pay back £48,000 rent or go to prison

A man who claimed he needed a council house but was actually a landlord has been ordered to pay back more...

07 August 2019

From: Breaking News

New Right To Rent rules mean agents and landlords ‘break law’

New guidance from the government on its controversial Right To Rent scheme would see agents and landlords breaking the law if...

05 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent: industry and government go back to court

Both sides of the Right To Rent debate are squaring up for their latest court battle. Earlier this year the High Court...

11 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Surge in landlords declaring unpaid tax following HMRC crackdown

The number of landlords admitting to not paying tax has soared in the past year, according to new data. During 2018/2019, 16,110...

08 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Note to Tory leadership candidates - Scrap Right To Rent!

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have been given a message from a consortium of groups this morning - Scrap Right To...

24 June 2019

From: Breaking News

Jailed - buy to let investor who illegally converted flats

A landlord who illegally converted a London home into two flats without planning permission has been given a prison sentence after...

20 June 2019

From: Breaking News

Sub-letting tenants caught on camera and to be on TV tonight

More nightmare tenants have been the subject of investigation in a Channel 5 TV programme to be shown this evening. In the...

17 June 2019

From: Breaking News

£1.2m confiscated from rogue buy to let firm and landlord

A London council has won one of the largest-ever Proceeds of Crime claims from an unscrupulous buy to let investor. Andre Charles Trepel,...

02 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Proceeds of Crime Act to be used against jailed agents, council confirms

Cornwall council has confirmed that it’s to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to try to win compensation for victims of...

25 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Lies, illegal flats and hidden tenants lead to suspended jail sentence

A buy to let investor who hid families in windowless rooms after failing to get planning permission for a block of...

28 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Crooked letting agent had a Land Rover, Porsche and a Florida home

A crooked letting agent took £220,000 from tenants and landlords and has been exposed as buying a home in Florida, renting...

18 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Buy to let investor facing the music after illegally evicting DJ tenant

A landlord who left his tenant homeless after changing the locks while he was on holiday has been hit with a...

19 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Jailed! Man who forged agency papers 'giving HMO planning consent'

A buy to let investor who converted three family homes to HMOs without securing planning permission has been jailed for falsifying...

18 February 2019

From: Breaking News

NALS welcomes prison sentences for three rogue letting agents

The National Approved Lettings Scheme has taken the unusual step of commenting on, and welcoming, the outcome of a court case...

01 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Guilty! Crooked lettings agent convicted of £20,000 fraud

A crooked lettings agent who illegally pocketed tenants’ deposits to pay for his gambling addiction and lavish lifestyle has been convicted...

24 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Pay-back time: Court tells buy to let couple to refund over £330,000

A court has ordered a husband and wife pair of buy to let investors to pay back £322,282 in illegal income. A...

18 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Buy to let couple have a choice - pay £150,000 or imprisonment

A couple from east London who illegally converted a town centre office block into 14 flats have been ordered to pay...

10 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Massive £1.5m penalty for criminal buy to let 'slumlord millionaire'

A notorious rogue landlord must pay £1.5m or risk spending up to nine years in prison after what is thought to...

06 December 2018

From: Breaking News

£450,000: is this a record penalty for a buy to let landlord?

We regularly carry stories about fines for landlords and letting agents who have apparently broken council or national laws - but...

26 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Proceeds of Crime Act used against rogue buy to let investor

Luton landlord Mervyn Kupshik has been ordered to pay nearly £30,000 to the Local council - and if he doesn’t do...

19 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Jail for men who 'made up' VAT returns for franchise lettings branch

A man who submitted false VAT returns for the Lincoln franchise branch of Martin & Co for a period of six...

08 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Banned and fined! Notorious HMO had 'unsafe and insanitary' rooms

The landlord of an HMO who subjected his tenants to insanitary and unsafe living conditions has been told he will no...

13 September 2018

From: Breaking News

Gas fitter jailed after carrying out unsafe work on buy to let units

A self-employed gas fitter has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after he carried out unsafe gas work while falsely...

06 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Rent For Sex - legal expert wants government action now

A respected property lawyer says she wants a change in the law to prevent unscrupulous landlords from offering accommodation in return for sex.  Liz...

10 July 2018

From: Breaking News

Rogue tenant jailed for 16 weeks for illegally sub-letting HMO

A head tenant who changed the locks on a property that was illegally sublet to no fewer than 35 men has...

22 June 2018

From: Breaking News

Crooked agents and landlords: 'theft totaliser' looks set for record year

The cash value of tenancy deposits crooked landlords and letting agents have been convicted of pocketing in 2018 has already passed...

27 February 2018

From: Breaking News

Letting agent stole over £350,000 of deposits to fund lavish lifestyle

The director of a lettings agency who who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on holidays and other luxuries...

16 February 2018

From: Breaking News

Fake letting agent is finally arrested - a month after being sentenced to jail

A fake agent who made thousands from letting out rooms that didn’t exist has been arrested - a month after being...

01 February 2018

From: Breaking News

Criminal letting agent spared jail after stealing over £7,600 from tenants

A letting agent has been spared jail despite stealing over £7,600 from tenants to subsidise his failing business.  Simon Cawley, from Kingsbridge...

29 January 2018

From: Breaking News

Donation made to Auschwitz Memorial after accidental use of image

A representative of the Landlords’ Union has posted an apology on the Property118 website for accidentally using a photograph of the...

23 January 2018

From: Breaking News

Crooked agents helped to steal £1m from tenants in 2017 - claim

Crooked letting agents and landlords have raided close to £1m from tenancy deposit accounts in 2017, new figures show. Campaigning agent Ajay Jagota,...

29 December 2017

From: Breaking News

Prison sentence after buy to let property's truly shocking fire risk

A buy to let property owner has received a four month prison sentence for letting out a property he had already...

22 December 2017

From: Breaking News

Lettings firm owner jailed for failing to repay 'illegal' rent

The owner of a property firm who reportedly misled tenants and let an illegally converted property has been jailed for 155...

29 November 2017

From: Breaking News

Crooked agents have stolen £700,000 so far this year says campaigner

Crooked letting agents have been convicted of stealing almost £700,000 of tenants’ deposits in the first half of 2017.   Campaigning letting agent...

27 July 2017

From: Breaking News

Suspended jail term for agency staff member who stole £11,500

An agency staff member has received a suspended prison sentence after stealing £11,500 in unclaimed deposits from a branch of Connells.   Amy...

02 May 2017

From: Breaking News

Councils want 'tiny' flats banned and jail for rogue landlords

A body representing 370 councils in England and Wales wants the government to close a legal loophole which allows the conversion...

12 April 2017

From: Breaking News

Rogue letting agent jailed for keeping £15,000 of clients' deposits

A letting agent has been jailed for keeping more than £15,000 in client deposits. Thirugnanaselvam Damayantharan ran See Own Properties in Purley and...

04 April 2017

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent: trade body's concern over 'further sanctions'

The Residential Landlords’ Association has written to an immigration minister to express its concern over possible ‘further sanctions’ for landlords who...

30 March 2017

From: Breaking News

Letting agency owner ordered to pay £25,000 to victims

A convicted Surrey letting agent who used his clients’ money to cover his business debts has been ordered to pay £25,000...

23 February 2017

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent 'discriminating against legal tenants' - claim

A report out today claims foreigners and Britons without passports, particularly from ethnic minorities, are being discriminated against in the lettings...

13 February 2017

From: Breaking News

Fraudster jailed after keeping 'holding deposits' from tenants

A fraudster has been jailed after being convicted on nine counts of fraud, theft and forgery relating to property firms which...

09 February 2017

From: Breaking News

£200,000 bill for lettings firm - agent given suspended sentence

A letting agency specialising in student accommodation in Nottingham city centre and its director have admitted a series of breaches of...

23 January 2017

From: Breaking News

Suspended prison sentence after private tenants' lives were endangered

The landlord of a property risked the lives of his tenants and their young family by not undertaking annual safety checks...

19 December 2016

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent criminal sanctions come into effect from today

New parts of the Immigration Act 2016 come into effect today, consolidating the Right To Rent regulations that came into effect...

01 December 2016

From: Breaking News

Jail sentences for fake letting agents after elaborate scam

Three men have received prison sentences of up to 28 months after a nationwide lettings scam was unearthed by trading standards...

20 October 2016

From: Breaking News

Suspended sentence after failure to check rental gas fittings

A landlord has been given a suspended prison sentence following his failure to maintain or check the gas fittings in one of his properties. A...

20 October 2016

From: Breaking News

Industry bodies wary of yet more rental sector licensing

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has responded to the latest government recommendations for tighter controls on the private rental sector...

19 October 2016

From: Breaking News

Fake letting agent jailed after swindling landlords and tenants

A man who posed as a letting agent to swindle landlords and tenants has been jailed for just over two years.   Legal...

02 August 2016

From: Breaking News

Prison and huge fine after war of intimidation waged on tenants

A landlord who waged what a local authority describes as “a war of intimidation” against tenants living in his property has...

19 July 2016

From: Breaking News

Long prison sentence for letting agent guilty of con trick

  A letting agent who scammed dozens of tenants and landlords out of more than £220,000 of rents and deposits has been...

29 June 2016

From: Breaking News

Letting agent dodges prison sentence after admitting £30,000 fraud

A former letting agent has received a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to ten counts of fraud. Nicholas Dowse, also known...

23 May 2016

From: Breaking News

Agents and landlords told to take gas safety more seriously

A leading trade body says it’s time for the private rental sector to take gas safety more seriously following a spate...

11 May 2016

From: Breaking News

New lending rules 'could create 'buy to let mortgage prisoners'

A warning is being issued that the types of mortgages still being extended to buy to let investors risks them becoming...

10 May 2016

From: Breaking News

Man escapes prison after battering letting agent over the head

A chef who is reported to have battered a letting agent over the head with a cricket bat in a row...

10 May 2016

From: Breaking News

Fake landlord claim and false HMO documents lead to prison term

A 24-year-old from Luton has been jailed after being found guilty of six counts of fraud in relation to obtaining properties...

28 April 2016

From: Breaking News

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