A £5,000 fine handed to a landlord for not having an HMO licence has been slashed by 50 per cent.

The landlord appealed the original fine to a First Tier Tribunal, which agreed with the fine in principle but cut it to £2,500.

The landlord then appealed at the Upper Tribunal (lands chamber) in London on the grounds that the council had served the notice out of time and did not have sufficient evidence. 

The Upper Tribunal Judge Elizabeth Cooke agreed with the First Tier Tribunal decision and rejected this further appeal on both counts.

A spokesperson for the council concerned – Welwyn Hatfield – says: “These tribunal decisions have vindicated the decision of our officers to fine a landlord who was not acting lawfully and continued to operate without the correct licence.

“We want to reassure private sector tenants that they can find good quality, fully vetted tenancies by going through our landlord accreditation scheme. “