Investigated by Wolverhampton Council trading standards, the fraudulent letting agent also awaits sentencing for unfair trading offences. His agency traded as a Martin & Co franchise.

The agent, Mr Sanghera, owned two neighbouring properties - 374 and 374a Penn Road - let out "by EBS Property Ltd, trading as Martin & Co Wolverhampton, where Mr Sanghera was the sole company director". A tenant occupying 374 Penn Rd discovered in 2012 that their electricity and gas meters were also connected to the utility supplies to No. 374a, however, "Martin & Co falsely advised" the tenant at No. 374 that they were liable to pay for 374a's utility supply in return for having their own rent discounted. "A contract falsified with forged signatures and a letter were produced containing stipulations for the payment of the neighbouring property's utilities, which could only have been sanctioned by Mr Sanghera himself".

Four years later another tenant at 374 had their £845 deposit wrongly withheld after "criticisms were added onto a check-out form after the tenant's guarantor's signature was received". In addition, Martin & Co failed to advise the tenant of the utility connection to the neighbouring property and that the tenant would be paying utility costs for both properties and also failed to advise that Sanghera, who owned both properties, was also director of the letting agency.

Martin & Co employees were instructed by Sanghera to add "excessive markups" onto maintenance costs invoiced to his landlord customers and Sanghera's own maintenance company "fabricated" invoices for work that was never carried out. The employees were also "encouraged" to get friends and family to post fake positive reviews of the agency on Google and told to send misleading photos of properties to the Deposit Protection Service, thus submitting false evidence to justify withholding deposits.

The agency was also found to have carried out "aggressive" behaviour towards tenants who complained to the council by using "retaliatory eviction" against them.

Cllr. Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment and Climate Change, said "People put their trust in agencies like the one run by Sanghera to find them a home. They should not have that trust broken by the type of unscrupulous behaviour this case has highlighted".

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