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April Top Rogue Landlords & Agents
Landlord fined over £115,000!
A landlord has been hit with a bill of over £115,000 as a result of a series of problem with four properties in West Northamptonshire. The local council inspected the four homes in March 2020 under a housing warrant after complaints were raised over noise, fly-tipping and waste accumulations. It was found that all four properties were unlicensed HMOs and that each had significant defects.
During the sentencing at Northampton Magistrates Court, the District Judge stated that the tenants were vulnerable and there was reasonable expectation that the landlord would provide a safe home. The landlord was ordered to pay a £100,000 fine, plus £15,000 contribution to the council and a £181 statutory victim surcharge.
Private landlord fined £10,000 for putting tenants’ lives in danger
A landlord in Stroud has received a combined total of £10,478 in fines and costs for breaching safety regulations. When an officer inspected the property in July 2022 they found the building fell below acceptable safety standards and there was a serious fire safety risk. The hotel was being used as a `house in multiple occupation’ (HMO) and licensed for 20 tenants at the time of inspection.
The landlord pleaded guilty to the regulatory offences at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 3 April 2023. He was fined £4,608 for the offence of being in breach of the safety regulations. He was also ordered to pay the investigation costs (£1,568.00) and the council’s legal costs (£4,112.50) in full. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £190.00. The total amount he was ordered to pay was £10,478.00.
Agency fined for illegal HMO letting
A London lettings agency has been ordered to pay over £12,000 in a fine and costs for its part in running an illegal HMO. The three-bedroom HMO was identified by Barking and Dagenham council as not having planning permission, either granted or pending, to change from a single dwelling.
The landlord was sent letters in January and March 2019 making her aware of the planning regulation requirements, however these were ignored, and an Enforcement Notice was served in April 2019 requiring the use of the HMO to be ceased within six months. In January 2020 an inspection by council officers discovered that the property was still being occupied by two unrelated families who were sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities. Patel and Woodland Property Management Ltd were summoned to Barkingside Magistrates Court last May but Patel failed to attend and a warrant not backed for bail was issued. She surrendered to custody last June.
