Rogue letting agent jailed after ripping off landlords in shocking case – LandlordZone 16 January 2023

A letting agency boss in the West Midlands has been jailed for two years and four months after ripping off landlords and tenants who used his firm.

Bhavander Singh Sanghera, of Jesson Road, Walsall ran EBS Properties Ltd trading as Martin & Co Wolverhampton but, following a local Trading Standards investigation, was found to have defrauded customer landlords and their tenants as well as telling his staff to make exaggerated maintenance and repair claims.

Following a court hearing, Sanghera was found guilty of three counts of fraud or fraudulent trading, which he had pleaded guilty to, along with four further charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

He has now been sentenced to 28 months in jail for the fraud offences and is awaiting sentencing for the unfair trading offences. He has also been disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years.

Utility bills

The fraud offences involved ‘double charging’ tenants for utility bills at two adjacent rental properties (main picture) owned by Sanghera, and the use of falsified contracts and forged signatures to justify his actions.