Man is hit with £100,000 fine for renting out his London council flat to tourists on Airbnb
- Toby Harman, 37, was advertising a ‘cosy studio apartment’ with a hot tub
- Westminster Council said he promoted the social housing under the name Lara
- He was taken to court and was evicted and told to pay back £100,974
A council tenant has been handed a £100,000 fine – for sub-letting his flat on Airbnb.
Toby Harman, 37, had been advertising his ‘cosy studio apartment’ with a hot tub in London to holidaymakers on the short-term lettings website since 2013.
Westminster City Council said Mr Harman had promoted the social housing flat under the name Lara – but it discovered mentions of his real name amid hundreds of reviews from people who had stayed at the home in Victoria.
Toby Harman, 37, has been handed a £100,000 fine – for sub-letting his flat on Airbnb
Many had thanked him for recommending local restaurants.
He was taken to court and, after a failed appeal, was evicted and told to pay back £100,974 in unlawful profits – one of the biggest fines ever recouped by the council.
Andrew Smith, of Westminster City Council, said: ‘Social housing is there to provide much-needed homes for our residents, not to generate illicit profits for dishonest tenants.’
Last year the council recovered 24 social housing properties from fraudsters that have since been reallocated to locals in need of a new home.
Andrew Smith, of Westminster City Council, said: ‘Social housing is there to provide much-needed homes for our residents, not to generate illicit profits for dishonest tenants’