Following an investigation by City of Wolverhampton Council, Aunberin Kawal Saddique, sole trader and director of Emerald Lettings and Developments Limited in Wolverhampton, agreed to a court undertaking prohibiting her from engaging in any private rental business activities until 17 July 2028.
In a first-of-its-kind case for the city, Saddique – who currently manages 36 properties – has committed to stepping away from all aspects of letting and property management. Under the terms of the court-enforced undertaking, she is barred from:
+ Letting residential property in England
+ Acting as a letting agent or property manager
+ Holding a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence
Certain exceptions were agreed upon by the court, but any breach of the undertaking could lead to imprisonment, fines, or asset seizure.
The three-year ban acts as a warning to other rogue operators as the council continues efforts to crack down on unscrupulous landlords and agents, ensuring better protection for tenants across the city.
The undertaking, which followed a joint investigation by the council’s Private Sector Housing and Trading Standards teams, was given by Saddique to Wolverhampton County Court sitting at Walsall.
The case marks the first use of this legal mechanism by the council, made possible under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC) – new legislation designed to strengthen consumer protections by tackling unfair commercial practices.
Saddique admitted that both she and her company engaged in multiple unfair practices, including issuing an unlawful eviction threat to a tenant with a young baby. She also accepted that she demanded rent that was not owed and misled the public by failing to include proper business details on official correspondence.
By accepting the undertaking, Saddique acknowledged that she had engaged in – or was likely to engage in – conduct that was unfair or harmful to consumers. The court order prohibits her from acting as a landlord, letting agent, or property manager, or from holding a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence, with limited agreed exceptions.
Affected tenants will remain in their homes, and the properties previously managed by Saddique will now be overseen by alternative letting agents.
Cllr Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for city housing, said: “There is a growing trend where landlords and letting agents engage in unfair commercial practices, including misleading tenants about the security of their tenancy, denying tenants their rights in law and illegally evicting them by failing to follow the correct procedures.
“Undertakings to the court by businesses under the new regime of DMCC 2024 will safeguard consumer interest within the letting and rental sector and create a level playing field for legitimate letting agents.
“As a council, we will not tolerate rogue landlords or letting agents who engage in unfair commercial practices and will use powers to investigate and take action, which can include using court injunctions and prosecution.”
Cllr Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, added: “This is a terrible case where a city tenant and her young family were hounded by someone they should have been able to trust.
“The outcome is an excellent example of the council working together, with our officers from legal services, Private Sector Housing and Trading Standards sharing their expertise to secure this result.
“Most importantly, it has seen an unscrupulous and untrustworthy person removed from the letting and rental sector.”
