Fraudster ordered to repay £64,743 for illegal subletting
Priscilla Antah posed as a landlord on Gumtree, charging a family £1,200 a month for a Wandsworth Council property.
Incident → evidence → outcomeA fraudster who illegally sublet a Wandsworth Council property has been ordered to repay £64,743.54. Priscilla Antah posed as a landlord on the Gumtree website, charging a family £1,200 per month for the one-bedroom flat.
The family, including a young child, lived in the flat for three years. They were unaware that the property was social housing and not Ms Antah's to rent out. The deception came to light when Ms Antah stopped paying her own rent, prompting a visit from a Wandsworth Council officer.
Confrontation and prosecution
When confronted with financial records showing substantial rental income, Ms Antah initially claimed she had allowed a relative to stay in the flat. She also reportedly pretended not to know the family residing there and contacted the police to seek their eviction. Wandsworth Council prosecuted Ms Antah and secured a confiscation order for the income she received from the illegal subletting. The council stated the flat can now be reallocated to someone on the housing waiting list.
Councillor Peter Graham, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance at Wandsworth Council, commented on the case. He said: "Having a council home is a privilege. It means having a rent well below what others have to pay. People who sublet our council homes aren't just defrauding us; they are defrauding their neighbours and those in genuine housing need. We will prosecute anyone abusing that privilege and breaking the law."
Similar case in Westminster
In August, Westminster City Council secured a confiscation order against Saeed Yasin Hosseini. Mr Hosseini had obtained a flat in Pimlico in 2011 under false pretences, claiming to be a single man living in his parents’ temporary accommodation. In reality, he was living with his wife in a property she owned in North London. Between 2013 and 2014, Mr Hosseini sublet the Zone 1 flat for a year. He later purchased the property through the Right to Buy scheme, claiming it as his main address and receiving a discount of £100,000 on the sale. A judge at Southwark Crown Court ordered Mr Hosseini to repay £494,415.52 within three months.
Questions this report answers
01How much money must Priscilla Antah repay?
Priscilla Antah has been ordered to repay £64,743.54. This sum represents the income she received from illegally subletting a Wandsworth Council flat over a three-year period.
02How did Priscilla Antah illegally sublet the flat?
Ms Antah advertised the Wandsworth Council flat on Gumtree, posing as a landlord. She charged a family £1,200 per month to live in the property, which they believed was her own.
03What action did Wandsworth Council take?
Wandsworth Council prosecuted Priscilla Antah for illegally subletting the council property. They secured a confiscation order for the income she gained and have stated the flat will be reallocated to someone on the housing waiting list.
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