Landlady unlawfully 'hounded' tenant and family

The council said it would use the new powers to deal with unscrupulous or rogue landlord or letting agents

An "unscrupulous" landlady who threatened to unlawfully evict a tenant with a young family has agreed to stop letting properties until 2028.

Aunberin Kawal Saddique, director of Emerald Lettings and Developments Limited, "hounded" the mother by engaging in a number of unfair commercial practices including demanding rent, City of Wolverhampton Council said.

She gave an undertaking at Wolverhampton County Court to stop letting and managing private residential properties until July 2028 or face being sent to prison, fined or having assets seized.

The council said the case against Ms Saddique, which was heard on 18 July, was the first time new legislation had been used in Wolverhampton.

Undertakings are voluntary legal commitments made to the court and fall under recent changes to the Digital Marketing, Competition and Consumer Act 2024.

The council said the landlady, who manages 36 properties across the city, accepted she and the company had made an unlawful threat to evict a tenant, who was living in a property with her young baby.

She also demanded rent that was not owed and misled the public by failing to include details of the business on official stationery, according to the authority.

Ms Saddique accepted that she had done, or was likely to do, something considered unfair or harmful to consumers and agreed to not let housing in England, engage in letting agency work, engage in property management work or hold a house in multiple occupation licence, with agreed exceptions.

Tenants currently living in properties managed by her will remain in their homes and the properties will be managed by other letting agents.

'Untrustworthy person'

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, said it was a "terrible case" of a tenant and her young family being "hounded" by someone they should have been able to trust.

"Most importantly, it has seen an unscrupulous and untrustworthy person removed from the letting and rental sector."

Councillor Steve Evans, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for city housing, said there was a "growing trend" of unfair practices by landlords and the council would use the new powers where applicable.