Rogue letting agencies in court after ‘scamming UK newcomers’
Two Tower Hamlets lettings agencies and their owners have been prosecuted for 15 offences including "bait and switch” adverts.
A pair of Tower Hamlets-based letting agencies and their owners have been prosecuted by their local council for targeting newcomers to the UK with ‘unfair’ and illegal practices.
In all, five individuals and two companies were involved and they have been convicted of a total of 15 offences.
The five are Mohammed Moynul Haque, his now ex-wife Fatima Begum, Gonzalo Gomez Egea, Razaur Rahman Oli and Nozir Ahmed, who were mostly operating out of 220 Bow Common Lane (pictured).
They started with Citiside Properties Ltd, although it has now ceased trading but has spawned several offshoots, including the two prosecuted – Barrons London Ltd and Roomshare Ltd.
The group’s 15 illegal and unfair letting practices offences included “bait and switch” adverts. This is where highly attractive but unavailable rooms are used as bait to lure in applicants who are then coerced into more expensive alternatives.
Misleading adverts
They were also guilty of producing a number of misleading adverts on a variety of platforms including Spareroom (whose representative acted as a witness for the prosecution).
In addition, the group failed to protect or refund tenants’ deposits and by issuing them with licences to occupy rather than assured shorthold tenancy agreements, their legal rights, including protection from eviction, were restricted.
The group’s activities generated a large number of complaints to everyone from the Property Ombudsman to Citizens Advice and Action Fraud.
I suffered from poor mental health because I lost money, and I felt stupid.”
Some two years after the complaints began Tower Hamlets council finally raided the companies’ premises and seized a number of computers. It was, however, another five years before the case came to court (2024).
Haque was subsequently found guilty of four counts of fraudulent trading and two breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Egea was found guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading and Begum of one.
The companies, Barrons London Ltd and Roomshare Ltd, were both convicted under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Barrons for one count and Roomshare for two.
One of their victims, said in court: “I suffered from poor mental health because I lost money, and I felt stupid, so that’s why I kept fighting for this even though it took many years to win. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.”
Sentencing will take place next month.
Read more about rogue letting agencies.
