Landlady abuses power to victimise vulnerable tenants

Amina Raza attempted to regain possession of her property from long-standing tenant Malik Karim, who lived at the property with his wife and three children but managed to tick every ‘do not do’ box in the process.

Cambridge County Court heard the possession case, which detailed how Ms Raza had purchased the property in September 2016, with Mr Karim and his family already in place as resident tenants. Once she owned the property, she proceeded to visit the property, often without notice, up to 15 times a week.
On December 30 2016, a builder attended the property upon the request of Ms Raza, and removed the kitchen and bathroom, rendering the property unsuitable for habitation. Mr Karim had no option but to declare his family homeless and was subsequently rehoused by Peterborough City Council.

The possession case was raised on the basis of rent arrears, which Mr Karim (represented by GT Stewart Solicitors) defended himself again given the events proceeding it. The presiding Judge ruled to not only reject the possession claim, but also to award £12,207 to Mr Karim after a counterclaim was launched.