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Landlord in Hitchin Fined for No Heating
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 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire has been fined £1,344.57 by Stevenage Magistrates’ Court for leaving tenants without heating.
Landlord in Hitchin Fined for No Heating
Last week, Jane Cleverly pleaded guilty to not taking the adequate steps to provide her tenants with a fixed heating system. The case regards a property in Heathfield Road, Hitchin.
Cleverly’s tenants included a young couple renting for the first time and a woman recovering from surgery. Cleverly claimed she was having financial difficulty as the reason for her negligence.
The landlord was given an improvement notice under section 11 of the Housing Act 2004 that required the work to be conducted. However, Cleverly did not complete the work in the timeframe and was later prosecuted and fined by North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC).
Stevenage Magistrates’ Court issued a £500 fine, and ordered Cleverly to pay a £50 victim surcharge and £794.57 towards the Council’s legal fees.
NHDC’s portfolio holder for housing and environmental health, Councillor Bernard Lovewell, comments: “Landlords have a responsibility to keep their properties safe and free from health hazards, and tenants have a right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair.
“We hope this prosecution sends a clear message to private landlords in North Hertfordshire; that the Council will use enforcement powers whenever necessary to ensure the welfare and safety of our residents.”1
1 http://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/5/hitchin-landlord-fined-for-not-providing-heating
