Hajaj Hajaj rented out his house in Lewisham through Imperial Property Group after signing with the agency in July 2020.[1] On 22 April 2023 he opened the house to find a hidden wall reinforced with steel and secured with three locks, and he called the police.[1] Inside, officers found 160 cannabis plants with a street value of about £160,000.[1] Officers handcuffed Niazi Hysa, then 38, at the house and walked him to Lewisham police station next door.[1] Hysa appeared before Woolwich crown court on 12 July 2023.[1] The court heard he had arrived in the United Kingdom on a small boat to earn money for his wife and then two-year-old daughter, who was unwell.[1] His asylum application had been rejected and he was homeless when he was offered food and accommodation but no money to tend the plants, and he said he was afraid to refuse.[1] The judge found Hysa was a victim of intimidation but sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment.[1]
Growers had punched holes in the ceilings, connected a snaking ventilation system, and cut through roof joists to build an internal wall.[1] A year later the Lewisham house was still uninhabitable.[1] A builder quoted Hajaj £200,000 to repair the damage.[1]
Imperial had assured Hajaj the property had been inspected on 10 December 2022 and all was well.[1] Imperial never took the tenants to court after they stopped paying rent, which the account describes as a ruse to stall for time.[1] Apart from Hysa’s conviction, police shut the Imperial cases without further investigation.[1]
