Landlady ordered to pay £12,000 to tenant

Amina Raza of Midland Road was forced to pay the large sum to Malik Karim who used lived in Harris Street, Millfield, with his wife and three young children.

Judge Yelton awarded the money after rejecting Raza’s claim for possession of the property, instead awarding £12,207 to Mr Karim after a counterclaim.

Mr Karim was represented at Cambridge County Court by GT Stewart Solicitors which has a legal aid contract in Cambridgeshire.

The solicitors said Raza bought the house in September 2016 when Mr Karim lived in it and would sometimes visit up to 15 times each week, often without giving notice.

They said on December 30 a builder attended the property on Raza’s instructions and removed the kitchen and bathroom, forcing Mr Karim to declare his family homeless. They were then rehoused by Peterborough City Council.

Raza brought a claim for possession of the property on the basis of rent arrears which Mr Karim successfully defended himself against.

Dirghayu Patel from GT Stewart said: “This was a flagrant example of a landlord abusing her power to victimise her vulnerable tenants.”