Two more landlords have faced the courts for poor standards and failing to licence houses in multiple occupation (HMO) as councils continue to crackdown on offenders.
Mark Tomlinson, of Trojans Estate Agents, Enfield, North London was ordered to pay £2,745 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to failing to comply with a Barnet Council notice that ordered him to make improvements to his property.
The council’s environmental health team served the landlord with an improvement notice after a tenant reported problems with damp and condensation in a ground floor flat owned by Tomlinson.
Willesden Magistrates Court heard that Tomlinson had owned rental properties for some time and had several agents to help him manage them; he had let damp problems continue for more than a year.
Barnet’s lead councillor for housing Tom Davey said the council is committed to making sure landlords maintain properties in safe and fit conditions.
In 2012 more than 700 reports of poor conditions were reported to the council, and action by the authority helped to bring the majority, 539, back to acceptable standards.
Piled up rubbish
A landlord in Oxford admitted poor management of a HMO after the home was deemed to risk the health and safety of tenants.
Imran Ali pleaded guilty to nine charges and was ordered to pay £2,350 at Oxford Magistrates’ Court.
Several licensing and safety breaches were uncovered when officers visited the HMO last August, including no notices with the landlord’s details, broken kitchen tiles, cooker in an unsafe place and no kitchen work surface for hot pans. Loose wires, debris and rubbish were piled up in the garden and a worn and poorly fitted stair carpet was also reported.
The court did give credit to the landlord for his pleading guilty and said considered his previous good character before delivering the verdict.
