Four landlords in Peterborough have become the first to have been fined for not holding a licence under a new city council scheme.
Last week, Shazia Parveen of Norton Road, Peterborough, was fined £440 and ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £44 plus the council’s costs, while earlier this week, Sarah Jane Gratton and Dean Anthony Gratton of Berkeley Square, London, were found guilty of not licensing a property in Wildlake, Orton Malborne, and Francesco Semeraro of Stanley Road, Peterborough, was found guilty of not licensing a property also in Stanley Road.
This is the first lot of prosecutions of its kind in Peterborough since the selective licensing scheme for buy-to-let landlords, which costs £900 for five years, was introduced on 1 December 2016.
The selective licensing scheme covers the following wards: Central, North, East, Park, Fletton, Bretton North, Stanground Central, Walton and Orton Longueville.
Since its implementation, the SaferPeterborough Prevention and Enforcement Service claims to have received more than 6,500 selective licensing applications.
Cllr Irene Walsh, cabinet member for communities, said: “Landlords who choose to invest in properties in Peterborough must be fully aware of their responsibilities under the law.
“These cases demonstrate that the council will not allow landlords to operate a licensable property without a licence.
“The selective licensing scheme has been in place for nine months now and we are very pleased with the high number of landlords who have already applied for their licences.
“We have, however, identified properties that we suspect remain unlicensed and will continue to pursue these. If any landlord is unsure whether their property requires a licence they are urged to contact our selective licensing team for advice.”
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Just another way to raise revenue from Landlords.
Tenants will end up paying more rent,as Landlords just can,t absorb anymore costs.
Good Landlords provide homes,yet this government seem to want to put us all out of business.
Landlords from hell and those not declaring income and paying tax,should be put out of business,fined and put inside for a few years!
I am one of those landlords that look after my tenants,pay every penny of my taxes and have done from day one!
So why am I suffering because of these not paying tax ,not following all rules and regulations?
At the moment my BTL.s do not fall under a licence requirement,I am 25 miles from Peterborough
If I end up being forced to have a licence,I will have to send yet another letter to my tenants,apologising for council/government actions that are forcing me to increase rents,which are really unecessary laws and costs.
Wake up government reward good Landlords not punish them!
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