This month Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, announced a plan to train more Private Rented Sector enforcement officers to help tackle a lack of inspections from councils, which has led to many landlords getting away with letting out potentially hazardous properties. The Mayor is also calling for a system where tenants have greater capacity to claim back money if their home is not up to standard, and wants to allow for up to two years of rent to be reclaimed for those properties that pose a risk of injury or death to its tenants. This has come as a result of a splurge in rogue landlord and agent cases which is creating a widely recognised need for stricter enforcement and inspections of local licensing regulations.
At Kamma, we understand that property licensing is complex, inconsistent, and ever changing. Our technology and software cuts through that complexity to keep you on top of all the changes with clear and accurate advice. We analyse and sort data to help agents, landlords and surveyors understand the impact of Property Licensing and Planning Permission on their properties and assets. We leverage technology and data to help agents and landlords stay on top of new property licensing schemes and avoid licensing fines.
Contact us or book a demo now to understand how Kamma can solve property licensing for you.
February Top Rogue Landlords
Ilford landlord faced with £60,000 fine for a series of ten housing violations
A rogue landlord in Ilford was fined almost £60,000 for permitting his tenants to live in atrocious and rodent infested conditions. The landlord was found guilty of ten housing violations at Stratford Magistrates Court. The managing agent company was also fined an additional £3,700.
The case was brought forward by a complaint from the tenants in 2019 and the council has since conducted several inspections of the property. Officers also found evidence that the property had inadequate locks to the ground floor flat, cracked tiles in the bathroom and leaking waste pipes. In 2019 an Interim Management Order for the first floor flat of the building was imposed, allowing Waltham Forest council to take full management control of it. Under the order the landlord was not allowed to access the property or contact the tenants but was later found to have breached the order and was put in custody for a week.
Camden council has handed out banning orders to 4 rogue landlords for letting an unlicensed HMO
The rogue landlords are all part of the same group of London based family and business associates and were previously fined for ignoring defects at another property. The first hearing found that the building originally had six to seven bedrooms and two bathrooms, but had been illegally converted to provide 16 self-contained units.
Council inspections found a lack of fire safety equipment and poor management of the flats. One of the landlords had also previously been found to harass and tried to illegally evict his tenants and was faced with the UK’s first ASBO, or anti-social behaviour injunction, in 2021. This banning order, issued this year, will take effect in six months and prevent all four landlords from letting property and engaging in letting agency work for the next 5 years.
Landlord faced with £57,000 in fines for running an unlicensed HMO
A landlord in Slough has been fined almost £60,000 following a prosecution brought by Slough Borough Council. His property was granted an HMO licence in 2018, but was restricted to one year because of concerns about his suitability to be a landlord due to previous regulation breaches. And in 2019, the licence was not renewed.
During a council inspection last year the local council found six different households, and 11 people living in the house but with facilities unsuitable for those numbers. Some other issues with the property included dangling electrical wires, blocked fire exit, holes in the floors and broken waterspouts into the kitchen. The landlord failed to appear in court this January and was convicted of 11 offences relating to the management of the property.
