A couple has been sentenced after they were found to have illegally rented out a council house in Solihull while they themselves were living over 130 miles away in Essex.
The Fraudulent Sub-Letting Scheme
Lema Azizi, 36, had been a registered tenant of the Solihull Council property on Winchcombe Road in Lyndon since March 2017. However, her tenancy agreement explicitly forbade sub-letting. Despite this, between April 2021 and October 2023, she and Ahmed Jamshaidi, 34, rented the home to two other individuals.
During this entire period, the couple were actually residing in Woolmer Green, Basildon, in Essex. Bank statement analysis revealed that Jamshaidi received 33 payments totalling nearly £13,500 from the occupants of the Solihull address, yielding an illicit profit of close to £3,000.
How the Deception Was Uncovered
The fraud came to light during routine checks by Solihull Council's fraud investigators. The probes were triggered by separate Right to Buy and joint tenancy applications linked to the Winchcombe Road address.
The investigation found that Jamshaidi was connected to multiple addresses, including the Woolmer Green property which he owned. Both he and Azizi had paid Council Tax on the Essex home. Furthermore, Azizi's own bank statements indicated she had been living at the Basildon address since July 2022.
The pair also made false statements in a joint tenancy application, falsely claiming that Jamshaidi had lived at the Solihull property for more than two years.
Sentencing and Council Recovery Action
Both defendants pleaded guilty. At Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 28 November, Azizi was sentenced to a 12-month community order, a £40 fine, a £114 victim surcharge, and £400 in costs.
Jamshaidi received a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge, £650 in costs, and to repay £2,959.75 to the council.
Solihull Community Housing has now recovered the property and re-let it to a person on the Housing Register.
Councillor Mark Parker, Solihull Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, stated: "Fraud against the council will not be tolerated – this is clear. This case is an excellent example of that and comes after a more than two-year investigation from our fraud investigators."
He added that this was not an isolated incident, confirming that the council has recovered 10 properties from fraudulent activities since April. He emphasised officers' ongoing work to protect public funds and ensure homes go to those who genuinely need them.
