Couple keep council home despite secretly buying five-bed house - but left to pay the price
A couple who secretly kept their council house after buying a five-bedroom property in London have been ordered to repay thousands following a tenancy fraud investigation
A couple who kept a council home after buying a five-bedroom home in South London have been hit with a £22,500 bill.
Uchenna and Nkeiruka Nzekwe were handed the keys to a three-bedroom council home on Fir Trees Close, SE16, in June 2021 - just three weeks after purchasing a mortgage-free house in Croydon, where they continued to live.
Southwark Council’s Housing Investigation Team launched a probe in October 2022 following an anonymous tip that no children had ever lived at the address. Investigators later discovered that the council property was being used by extended family members - not the Nzekwes themselves.
When interviewed in February 2024, Mr Nzekwe admitted his family used both homes but claimed the Croydon house was held "in trust" for his daughter and therefore did not need to be declared, MyLondon reports.
He was warned that failing to give up the tenancy could lead to legal action. Despite vowing to fight the claim, the couple repeatedly failed to submit a formal defence and were later barred from doing so by the court.
On October 1, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court granted Southwark Council possession of the Fir Trees Close home.
The couple were ordered to vacate within 14 days or face eviction by court bailiffs. They were also told to pay over £6,000 in occupation charges and £16,500 towards the council’s legal costs.
Councillor Michael Situ, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "Tenancy fraud is not a victimless crime — it takes much-needed council homes away from people in real need and we will always take action to investigate. As this case shows, those who commit tenancy fraud risk losing their council home, and court action including costs and fines."
He urged residents to report suspected tenancy fraud anonymously, adding: "You can help us protect our council homes for people who really need them."
Southwark Council says it has a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of fraud. Since April 2025, its Housing Investigation Team has uncovered tenancy fraud worth more than £1.5 million.