£4,000 bill for Sussex landlord who failed to fix toilet

A Worthing landlord has been ordered to pay more than £4,000 for ignoring a council improvement notice.

Daniel Woulfe of Rugby Road, Worthing pleaded guilty to the notice, served by Worthing borough council, with regards to the poor state of his property in Belsize Road, Worthing.

In October 2014 officers from the council inspected the ground floor flat, following complaints from the tenant. They found the one bedroom flat to be without a functioning toilet, to have penetrating damp, inadequate heating and poor fire protection.

An improvement notice was served under the Housing Act 2004 in December 2014 but, despite continued assistance and advice being offered, Woulfe failed to carry out the repair works within the statutory timescale. He was then prosecuted by Worthing Borough Council.

On 2 October this year, at a hearing at Chichester Magistrates Court, Woulfe was fined £2,700 plus a victim surcharge of £120 and court costs of £1,194.34: a total of £4,014.34.

Cllr Dr Heather Mercer, cabinet member for customer services, said: “The shortage of private rented properties in the South East means that a minority of landlords attempt to take advantage of tenants by providing poor or substandard accommodation. Worthing Borough Council will always take action against such landlords, including prosecution as necessary.

“The fine imposed by the court shows that this is a serious issue and validates the actions taken by the private sector housing team to improve housing conditions.”

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