A ROGUE landlord exploited more than 100 prospective tenants in order to rip them off along with insurers, a bank and councils, a court heard.

Rags-to-riches property mogul Tahir Khaliq fabricated letters and tenancy agreements and spun lies in order to earn cash for his string of firms including Lancashire Lettings operating from the same office in Haig Road, Bury.

The 49-year-old ordered staff to accept but never return holding deposits from a string of renters seeking to secure accommodation and arranged for fake home insurance claims to be submitted with fabricated quotes and invoices with the help of employee Paul Dickinson.

Khaliq, known as Tony, was jailed yesterday for 45 months at Bolton Crown Court while manager Dickinson, aged 42, was given a two year jail term, suspended for two years.

Judge Graeme Smith told Khaliq: "You instigated and directed several different fraudulent schemes.

"Though some were directed at institutions such as banks and insurance companies, one of them caused harm to those in a vulnerable position."

Prosecutor Andrew Thomas told the court among the fake insurance claims were those made for houses in Shackleton Grove in Johnson Fold as well as Ainsworth Avenue in Atherton and Hoyle Street in Radcliffe.

Genuine-looking inflated quotes were submitted from two invented firms and then if needed leases were falsified to try to prove the properties were occupied at the time.

Mr Thomas said: "The two most blatant parts of this fraud were the lies told about two things: about who was living in the property and the fabrication of estimates and invoices for repair work.

"Internal emails showed Paul Dickinson was the author of the bogus documents and Mr Khaliq was involved.

"In reality the works were done by their own handymen at a fraction of the cost."

Khaliq operated a scheme in which prospective tenants were encouraged to pay a holding fee of typically £200 or £400 as a deposit so a house or flat would be taken off the market and their application would progress.

Mr Thomas said sums were collected from several customers for the same property – as many as seven in a month – who were later told they had failed a credit check or had failed to provide a guarantor and their money was not refundable.

Khaliq used the pseudonym 'Jack Daniels' in these transactions in a bid to hide his identity from complainers.

He said: "It was blatant dishonesty. Lies were told to fob off those who wanted their money back.

"Many of the victims were vulnerable people, mainly people on low incomes who were struggling to obtain adequate housing.

"Many of the tenants were on housing benefits and not well off and very often vulnerable because of financial circumstances or other difficulties."

The court heard Khaliq and Dickinson collected rent for 119 properties they managed on behalf of liquidators Ernst and Young but failed to pass it on.

Khaliq also instigated a council tax avoidance scheme which deprived Bury and Bolton councils of funds alongside other local authorities and arranged for letters from his accountant to be counterfeited to support a £3million Co-op Bank loan application.

Khaliq, of Haig Road, Bury, admitted two counts of making an article for use in fraud, two of conspiracy to commit fraud, one of theft and three counts of fraud and was ordered to pay back £100,000 and pay court costs of £125,000 and was disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.

Dickinson, of The Avenue, Leigh, admitted theft and six counts of fraud and was ordered to pay £24,280 and prosecution costs of £15,000 and was disqualified from being a company director for six years.