A tenant who tried to sell his landlord’s £400,000 house without his knowledge has been jailed for two and a half years.
Andrew Smith, 41, came close to swindling a potential buyer of the three-bedroom house – even renting show-home furniture for viewings.
He had applied to rent the house and received the keys to the Cambridge property in February 2020.
He then listed the house for sale less than two weeks later on a fake estate agent company online.
In June 2022 one prospective buyer came close to purchasing the property but was alerted by some neighbours who told them it was rented and not for sale.
The buyer had already agreed to a price through the fake company.
The buyer arrived at the three-bedroom property on Argyle Street, Cambridgeshire to carry out a drain survey.
After contacting the real letting agents, the victim then reported the fraud to the police.
Police discovered many of Smith’s documents he had provided to the letting agent were fraudulent.
Smith had even rented furniture from a company that provides furniture for show homes.
Smith was caught and arrested at his home in Flitwick, Bedfordshire.
He eventually pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and entering into money laundering.
He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 4 November.
Detective Constable Dan Harper from Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: “This is an almost unbelievable and truly brazen crime, which saw an innocent buyer almost part with more than £400,000 for a property that was never for sale in the first place.
“The investigation has been long and detailed and we have worked tirelessly to make sure justice has been served.”
SWNS
