A notorious tenant-from-hell, who defrauded a string of landlords in a two-year £58,000 serial sub-letting scam, which involved family homes being divided into bed-sits of mass occupation was jailed today.
Zimbabwe-born Rose Chimuka, 32, (pictured) duped owners of six South London properties into believing she was a respectable married mother-of-three, but as soon as she was handed the keys fitted locks to internal doors and rented them room-by-room.
Chimuka, of The Drive, Walthamstow pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to eleven counts of fraud committed between July 1, 2009 and June, last year by falsely representing she intended to reside at the addresses and falsely representing she was the landlady, with intent to gain.
She was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment and the prosecution will pursue confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
"She was a systematic fraudster out to make a gain for herself on a systematic large scale," said prosecutor Mr. Julian Jones. "She perpetrated a widespread fraud in South London in relation to the sub-letting of houses.
"These are not legitimate business arrangements because none of the money, except with some small exceptions, has gone back to the property owner and some of these frauds were committed while on bail for previous ones."
The houses involved are at: 5 Montague Avenue, Brockley; 299 Sydenham Road, South Norwood; 306 Green Lane, Norbury; 5 Grange Park Road, Thornton Heath; 4a Northampton Road, Croydon and 18 Penwortham Road, Streatham.
Further counts totalling approximately £27,000 were dropped after the prosecution lost contact with the tenants they needed to call as witnesses.
Chimuka used the aliases Rose Manzimay, Mary Manzimay, Amanda Nadacunda and Rose Nadacunda and used four different names to identify her supposed husband, who she claimed often worked away from home.
"The prosecution say that in each case there were common features," explained Mr. Jones. "There were false representations to landlords and letting agents that she intended to live at the properties even though she had no intention to do so.
"She also falsely represented to tenants she was the landlady of the properties and entitled to let the rooms when she was not."
The largest loss was suffered by Magda Szlenkier, who let her £800,000 family house in Brockley via Medics on the Move, when work took her to live in Hong Kong and Chimuka rented it to fifteen tenants.
"Chimuka came to the house alone, but we talked about her husband and schooling for her three children. I was very encouraged and was pleased to have a family rent my home where three of my own children had been born," said Mrs Szlenkier.
"After signing the tenancy agreement Chimuka placed ads in local shops advertising the rooms for rent and let them to a number of people and collected their deposits," said Mr. Jones.
After suffering twelve months with no income, plus legal and repair costs the prosecution estimate her loss at £42,119.
She has won a £15,000 civil judgement against Chimuka, but it is not known if any of this has been paid.
Some of the other landlords, who complain letting agents were only interested in collecting their commission, were shocked to discover from their local council their properties were now HMO's (Home of Multiple Occupation).
Every room was maximised for profit by Chimuka who turned lounges, dining rooms and living rooms into bed-sits.
Some landlords found their properties strewn with rubbish and in a filthy condition when finally reclaimed and often in need of repair and redecoration.
"Initially landlords and tenants who asked for police assistance were told it was a civil matter, but it is now presented as a criminal case because the prosecution say when you look at the whole picture the systematic criminal fraud emerges," said Mr. Jones.
Chimuka was arrested at least seven times and quizzed by police in Kennington, Battersea and Croydon before criminal charges were eventually brought.
During questioning the defendant consistently denied acting dishonestly, claiming she was a legitimate tenant struggling to meet the rent and only sub-let to satisfy the financial demands of her landlords.
One month after her first Crown Court appearance Chimuka rented 18 Penwortham Road, using an unsuspecting victim's bank details to secure the property.
"A card number was used on a faxed form to Foxton's belonging to another man giving authority to pay, but he had never given any permission," said Mr. Jones.
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