A landlord who hoodwinked her student tenants into paying higher deposits has been ordered to pay more than £11,000 in fines and costs.

Bristol Magistrates Court heard that following an investigation by the city council, Josefina Velazquez, of Hampton Road, Redland, was found to have misled tenants about their tenancies so that she could unfairly take more money than they expected to pay.

The authority uncovered a pattern of behaviour by Velazquez involving two separate sets of tenants, dating from 2022 to 2024.

Misleading tenants

She had advertised deposits at a lower amount than she charged, and then misled them about their legal rights, particularly in relation to security deposits.

Velazquez only refunded this money, amounting to £6,924, after the council told her that it planned to prosecute.

After she admitted three charges related to misleading tenants, District Judge Matthews told Velazques to work with the council to amend her business practices and emphasised the vulnerability of young student tenants who might be desperate to secure accommodation within a limited time frame.

Councillor Richard Eddy, vice chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, said the case highlights the importance of potential tenants being given the full picture before entering into a tenancy agreement.

“We want to make sure that tenants feel confident speaking up when they have an issue with their landlord, and we will look at taking action against any Bristol landlord or agent who systematically misleads their tenants,” he added.

“I would like to thank the officers in the private housing service who helped to expose and prosecute these terrible practices.”

‍