Courts catch up with Wandsworth tenant who sub-let council flat while she lived abroard

A former Wandsworth council tenant has been ordered to pay back more than £23,000 after subletting her social housing property without consent while she lived abroad.

Maria Sarabia-Ortiz sublet her property to various tenants over a period of more than five years.

The issue came to light when one of the sub-tenants contacted the council’s housing department to report a lack of heating in the property.

The housing department then referred the case to the South West London Fraud Partnership (SWLFP).

An investigation found that the council property was being sublet to two individuals who had been paying £600 a month per bedroom via bank transfer to Ms Sarabia-Ortiz.

The tenant’s two adult sons were also residents at the property and were sleeping in the living room.

The rooms had been advertised on Spareroom.com by one of the tenant’s sons. Ms Sarabia-Ortiz had been abroad for long periods of time since 2019, with bank statements showing regular rent credits going back to 2018.

Ms Sarabia-Ortiz initially denied subletting and later admitted that she knew she was not permitted to sublet the property. She was taken to Wandsworth County Court in September by the council.

The district judge who heard the case made an ‘unlawful profit’ order of £21,744.09 to Wandsworth council. The rogue tenant is also liable to pay additional costs of £1,193.23, and court costs of £460.50.

Cllr Angela Ireland, Wandsworth council’s cabinet member for finance, said: “Council housing provides a safe and secure home for those most in need.

“To abuse this system for profit deprives someone of a much-needed home and contributes to longer waiting lists across Wandsworth.

“There is no place for unlawful subletting in our borough, and along with the South West London Fraud Partnership, we will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system.”

SWLFP counter-fraud officers work across Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and Sutton investigating cases of subletting and abandonment, and encourage you to report any incidents where you suspect fraud is being committed. 

Spareroom.com has been approached for a comment.

Picture: Pixabay / Schluesseldienst