This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
A landlord whose HMO was shut down by a local council has been hit with a court bill of almost £16,000.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s environmental services department prosecuted Stanley John Rodgers, following an inspection of his rental property.
Complaint
The council decided to inspect the property following a complaint from a tenant. Upon arrival, representatives found five people, including a pregnant woman, residing in the end of terrace house.
Further investigation proved the home to be an unlicensed HMO, which came up well short of the expected legal standards. As a result, the council utilised its legal powers to close down the property for occupation, before prosecuting Mr Rodgers.
Rodgers pleaded guilty at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court to managing or controlling an unlicensed HMO. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to a further five charges, including failure to comply with fire safety regulations.
In total, Mr Rodgers was fined £13,333 and ordered to pay costs of £2,427.22, alongside a £120 victim surcharge.
Landlord fined in excess of £15k
Worst accommodation
Councillor Carl Smith, cabinet member for the environment, said, ‘HMOs are found in most areas-and licensable HMOs often represent the worst accommodation within the private rented sector in terms of their condition, their management and the vulnerability of their tenants.’[1]
‘The borough council works proactively with the police and fire service to identify potential HMOs and, where possible, to regulate them under the licensing process, which sees officers work directly with landlords and HMO managers to improve standards.Running a HMO can be a lucrative business and the borough council expects landlords to take responsibility and invest time, care and money to ensure their tenants are as safe as possible,’ Smith continued.[1]
Smith went on to say that when required, ‘as this case shows, the borough council will use legal powers to tackle those who do not meet their obligations and thereby risk the health and safety of their tenants.’[1]
‘In this case, the scale of the fine-the highest possible when a guilty plea has been entered-reflects the seriousness of the offence. The electrics, in particular, were dangerous and had to be disconnected straightaway.’[1]
[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/9/15k-bill-for-great-yarmouth-hmo-landlord
