Ipswich landlord handed suspended sentence for lying his way into council home

Mahmut Dagdelen of Braziers Wood Road was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of five fraud offences in April.

• The 47-year-old must complete 250 hours of community service, follow a six-month curfew between 19:00 and 07:00, and pay £5,418 in costs to Ipswich Borough Council.

• Dagdelen's fraud spanned more than six years and involved multiple false declarations about his financial circumstances.

The details: The council's investigation revealed Dagdelen had applied for social housing whilst privately renting, falsely claiming his household income was less than £15,000 annually and that he and his wife had no savings or investments.

• He was granted temporary accommodation in April 2017 after claiming his family would become homeless, then moved into a three-bedroom council property in January 2018.

• The fraud was exposed when Dagdelen applied to buy the council home under the Right to Buy scheme just 13 months later, revealing he had secured a mortgage and amassed savings for the purchase.

By the numbers: Investigators discovered Dagdelen jointly owned three commercial units in Ipswich, purchased outright in 2016, generating rental income he had failed to declare.

The fraud cost the council £158,000 – the expense of keeping a family in temporary accommodation who could have occupied the property Dagdelen was granted.

What they're saying: Councillor Alasdair Ross, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "Mr Dagdelen's fraudulent activities are unacceptable, and his dishonesty prevented much-needed housing being given to families who have a genuine need."

What's next: Dagdelen vacated the council property in July 2023, which was reallocated to a family on the social housing register. A Proceeds of Crime hearing will take place at a later date.