In what has been described as a ‘first’ by the local authority concerned, a rogue landlord has been banned from letting and managing properties.

Carmelo Borsellino, of Coventry, has what the city council calls “a long history of poor property management” and has been convicted of contravening housing legislation on several occasions

His most recent conviction was being found guilty of offences relating to the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.

Borsellino pleaded guilty and was fined £1,350 for this offence and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £135.

Due to the seriousness of these offences, the council took the decision to apply to the First Tier Property Tribunal for a banning order.

This has now been issued on Borsellino, preventing him letting property in England for a period of 15 months.

In reaching their decision the Tribunal stated, that “they were unimpressed with Mr Borsellino’s attempts to avoid or diminish the seriousness of having been convicted in relation to fire safety breaches”.

Breaching the order could result in a 51-week prison sentence, court fine or financial penalty of up to £30,000. In addition to the banning order, Borsellino has also been added to the national rogue landlord database.

A Coventry council spokesperson says: “Rogue landlords and agents have no place in Coventry and the council will use all its powers available to stop these criminals from operating in Coventry”.

A separate spokesperson adds: “Offences of this nature are very serious and have the potential to undermine Coventry City Council’s work to ensure that rented housing within its locality is safe and suitable for tenants. The use of banning orders is just one of the many tools the Council is adopting to tackle rogue landlords and deter them from flouting their responsibilities”.