A landlord has been sentenced and fined £1,963 in the Magistrates Court, after pleading guilty to being in control of a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) that wasn’t licensed.
HMO Enforcement Officers at the Council check that Landlords, who own and rent out HMOs, have a licence by law.
The landlord, Mr Vincent Ward, faced seven charges and 15 offences for failure to licence HMOs and comply with management regulations. Although the Council was satisfied with the overall outcome, it was disappointed with the fines imposed by the Magistrates given the severity of the offences.
Licensing legislation is primarily concerned with the safety of the people living in the house – the licensing process establishes that the house has sufficient amenities for the tenants living there, has acceptable standards of fire safety, and that the landlord is a fit and proper person.
Mr Ward had owned properties since 1990 and still operates HMOs. During that time, he had already been fined for various other offences.
Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, said: “Our HMO Enforcement Team are there to support tenants and work with landlords to raise and monitor housing standards in HMOs.
“Landlords have important legal responsibilities that they must meet. Our enforcement officers will work with them, but those landlords, who fail to comply with their legal duties to licence HMOs and manage and maintain this type of house, will face enforcement action.”
Anyone who feels that they may be living in an unlicensed HMO or subject to poor housing conditions can contact the HMO Enforcement team