The landlord of a York HMO has been fined £10,000 for not licensing the property and potentially exposing his tenants to danger.
Darren Avey of Holtby in Yorkshire, let an unlicensed property to nine individuals. He was alerted by the local council about the lack of a license and was advised of the application process and its importance in May 2012, and then again in March this year.
Following a third visit in August this year, the nine tenants were found to be still there but Avey had still failed to license the property as a House in Multiple Occupation - thereby breaching the Housing Act 2004 which insists on licences for properties which are three storeys or more, with five or more unrelated occupiers.
At York Magistrates’ Court, Avey pleaded guilty to operating an HMO without a license. He was fined £10,000 with court costs of £1,755 awarded to City of York Council and a surcharge of £120.
Comments
Well..............what can anyone say?
Sounds like he got off lightly!!!