A former Birmingham City Council tenant has been fined and lost her council home after pleading guilty to unlawfully subletting.
Ms Kitija Strauja, 30, advertised her council home to rent on social media; she told her sub-tenant that she owned the council property and was moving out to live with her partner.
Birmingham City Council was alerted to the situation when Ms Strauja gave her sub-tenant notice to leave, and the tenant reported themselves as homeless.
On 24 August 2023, Ms Strauja pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court to one offence of unlawfully subletting a council property and one associated Council Tax fraud offence.
Ms Strauja was fined £100 for the sub-letting offence, was ordered to pay £900 in unlawfully obtained profits as a result of sub-letting the property and a £40 victim surcharge.
At a hearing on 20 May 2025, at Birmingham County Court, Ms Strauja stated that she regretted her actions and understood that she had broken the terms and conditions of her tenancy agreement, but wanted to remain in the property as private rental prices were high.
It was pointed out that by unlawfully subletting the property, Ms Strauja had automatically broken the security of her tenancy and that this cannot be restored. The District Judge therefore granted a possession order for the property and a payment plan to recover the outstanding occupancy charges. Ms Strauja’s tenancy ended on 8 June 2025.
Councillor Nicky Brennan, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said:
“The fabric of our society is based on having a good home. It is fundamental to people’s sense of place, health and wellbeing.
“To sublet one of our homes deprives people of a much-needed home – we will not tolerate it and will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system.
“There are 25,000 people on the housing register in Birmingham waiting for a good and safe home.
“We hope this acts as a warning for tenants considering subletting a council property. If you sublet a property, you can receive a criminal record, potentially face imprisonment, be fined, and be ordered to repay the money you earned.
“Once you’ve sublet a council property, you’ve automatically broken the security of tenure, and that cannot be restored – you will lose the property.
“We urge all residents to respect council homes and report suspected fraud. Together, we can ensure fair provision of social housing.”