Light sentence for illegal sub-letting

A Cheltenham man has been fined nearly £500 for illegally sub-letting his flat.

John Stevens, 55, had been a long time tenant of his Newton Road social housing flat, but moved out to live with his girlfriend and did not tell the landlord.

At the same time, Stevens rented the flat out to a friend, illegally sub-letting the Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) property.

Following a tip-off, Stevens was visited by CBH officers and terminated his tenancy on the flat shortly after, but not before his crime was brought to light.

CBH prosecuted him under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

Stevens told Cheltenham Magistrates' Court that he thought he was helping a friend by allowing them to stay at his flat.

The magistrates took his guilty plea and means into account ahead of handing out their sentence. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £50 towards prosecution costs.

The flat was quickly re-let to new tenants who had been waiting for a property to become available.

Caroline Walker, head of community services at CBH, said: “Illegal sub-letting of social houses prevents people who genuinely need them from getting access to homes. This is a good result for us, not least because it helped to give a home to someone but also because it sends a strong message to people considering sub-letting. We will find out and you will be prosecuted.”

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