Landlord and his Lover Conned £20,000 in Benefits

Landlord and his Lover Conned £20,000 in Benefits

16:51 PM, 13th February 2012, About 12 years ago

Text Size

A landlord moved his tenant lover in to his home while she carried on fraudulently claiming benefits for his buy to let.

The pair conned the local council out of £20,000 in housing benefits, council tax and income support.

Mandy Huskisson, 44, pleaded guilty to four fraud offences at Runcorn Magistrates Court. She was given a six-month community order and ordered to repay £19,661 in overpaid benefit.

Arthur Traynor, 43, admitted two social security offences and was ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work.

In a separate case, landlord Naizali Mohmed swindled Southampton City Council out of £32,000 when he carried on banking housing benefit two years after his tenants had moved out.

He was ordered to repay the cash in six months or face 16 months in jail at southampton Crown Court. He was also sentenced to a 12 week prison sentence suspended for two years.

Judge Peter Ralls said: “The idea that people can obtain money, public money, particularly nowadays, when the public money is so scarce, is something that will not be tolerated.”

Mohmed admitted failing to notify the council of the change in circumstances.

Meanwhile, landlord was fined £1,750 for letting tenants live in a ‘hell-hole’ home. Amar Shazad, from Walthamstow, East London, admitted eight offences of failing to maintain a buy to let flat in good repair.

A Newham Council enforcement team uncovered a filthy flat infested with mould with a hole from a staircase into a car repair workshop below.

They also saw exposed electric wiring, kitchen cupboard doors off their hinges and unsafe coverings and repairs to the staircase. There was a cockroach on the hallway carpet.

Shazad was also ordered to pay £600 costs when he appeared at Thames Magistrates Court.


Share This Article


Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Tax Planning Book Now