Thursday 8th September 2011
A lettings agent pleaded guilty to withholding thousands of pounds in deposits and rent from tenants and landlords.
Zulfiqar Hussain, 43, who traded as Charles Lawson Lettings, pleaded guilty to eight charges at Oxford Crown Court yesterday for offences committed between December 2007 and October 2009.
He admitted seven counts of engaging in unfair commercial practice and one count of transferring criminal property.
The seven charges relate to not returning deposits to tenants or not passing on rent to landlords.
Oxfordshire trading standards, which brought the case to court, initially said Hussain had transferred £157,000 of illegally obtained money out of the business. But the figure was amended to “not less than £33,000” after both sides disagreed about the true amount.
Hussain said his business had hit difficulty in 2007 and he had used the deposits and rent money to keep it afloat. Prosecutor Nigel Lickley said the county council disputed the claim and believed the money had gone missing.
The sentencing judge will be asked to decide the issue. Sentencing is due to take place later this month.
Oxfordshire trading standards officer Ian Marriott warned that he did not think the case was a on-off.
He said: “I do not think this is exceptional.
“There is a large amount of rented property in Oxford, particularly for students, and it is difficult for people to go on recommendations because of the high turnover of students.
“That gives an environment where something like this could carry on for quite some time.
“Letting agencies handle an awful lot of money and the cashflow is enormous.”
In the long-running case, the premises of Charles Lawson (Lettings) and another agent were raided by police and trading standards in November 2009.
As well as Hussain, two other letting agents are awaiting sentencing in unrelated cases.
He admitted seven counts of engaging in unfair commercial practice and one count of transferring criminal property.
The seven charges relate to not returning deposits to tenants or not passing on rent to landlords.
Oxfordshire trading standards, which brought the case to court, initially said Hussain had transferred £157,000 of illegally obtained money out of the business. But the figure was amended to “not less than £33,000” after both sides disagreed about the true amount.
Hussain said his business had hit difficulty in 2007 and he had used the deposits and rent money to keep it afloat. Prosecutor Nigel Lickley said the county council disputed the claim and believed the money had gone missing.
The sentencing judge will be asked to decide the issue. Sentencing is due to take place later this month.
Oxfordshire trading standards officer Ian Marriott warned that he did not think the case was a on-off.
He said: “I do not think this is exceptional.
“There is a large amount of rented property in Oxford, particularly for students, and it is difficult for people to go on recommendations because of the high turnover of students.
“That gives an environment where something like this could carry on for quite some time.
“Letting agencies handle an awful lot of money and the cashflow is enormous.”
In the long-running case, the premises of Charles Lawson (Lettings) and another agent were raided by police and trading standards in November 2009.
As well as Hussain, two other letting agents are awaiting sentencing in unrelated cases.
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