Yahoo Finance Rogue London letting agent who duped dozens of tenants out of £15,000 is jailed
A rogue letting agent who conned dozens of hopeful tenants out of thousands of pounds has been jailed for 19 months.
Thirugnanaselvam Damayantharan left some of his victims on the verge of homelessness after he held back funds totalling £15,000 over the course of three years.
He conned his victims out of sums ranging from £300 up to £1,449 in a series of frauds relating to 33 properties.
In every case, the tenant had passed all relevant reference checks and had not pulled out, yet did not end up with a tenancy. Only one prospective tenant had their money returned.
Jailing the 53-year-old, Judge Peter Gower told Damayantharan the way he operated was “thoroughly dishonest”.
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Damayantharan initially denied two counts of fraudulent trading relating to two letting agencies he ran in Croydon, south London – See Own Properties and My Lawn Estates.
The fraudster, also known as Mr Damo, changed his plea to guilty midway through his trial – after about 20 of his victims gave evidence on how he conned them out of deposits.
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In most of the cases, the move-in date for properties came and passed without the prospective tenants being supplied keys.
When they repeatedly tried to get their money back, it was said Damayantharan would give excuses before eventually breaking off contact.
Sometimes Damayantharan would say the landlord had decided not to let to the tenant, or he claimed money had been held up with a referencing agency.
In many cases, the fraud left people not only out of pocket, but on the verge of homelessness.
“You were quick and efficient at relieving them of their money, if necessary by driving them, there and then, to cashpoint machines. Some have spoken of being made to feel rushed,” said Judge Grower at Croydon Crown Court.
“Thereafter, they found it increasingly difficult to make contact with you, as the time for commencing the tenancy in their home grew ever nearer.
“Only one prospective tenant managed to get back the whole deposit, but it took a considerable time and a great deal of persistence. The majority got nothing.”
Damayantharan, of Wallington, south London, was convicted in 2013 for similar practices around Croydon as well as Lambeth.
Damayantharan was caught after a long investigation by officers from Croydon Council’s Trading Standards team, with his prosecution brought by the council.
He is disqualified from being a director of any company for five years.
