A landlord was prosecuted after a council discovered he had unlawfully allowed occupation of a prohibited property.
Following a complaint from a recently vacated tenant in February 2022, Rochford council deemed premises unfit for human habitation and a prohibition notice under the provisions of the Housing Act 2004 section 20 and 21 was served in March 2022.
In May 2022 the council received information that persons were living in the property. A warrant was then obtained for entry and persons were found residing in the property in breach of the Prohibition Order.
Prosecution proceedings were started and in February this year the landlord appeared at Basildon Magistrates Court.
The landlord pleaded guilty to the offence and received a £300 fine, ordered to pay £1,700 prosecution costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
The court ordered a 28 day collection order.
A council spokesperson says: “We hope this successful prosecution acts as a warning to all landlords within the district. We will not tolerate landlords that allow residents to live in unfit properties.
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Were the victims forced to live there?
How do we know the landlord was allowing someone to live there ? who ever it was could have been living there without the landlord's permission, it does happen
If the rent reflected the state of the property and the tenant was happy to live there, what is the problem. Owner occupiers often live in sub standard houses as they re-furb them, this can often takes years.
Nanny state!
We are desperate for housing currently and the Councils actively make houses empty. I bought a run down house in the past, I had 2 tenants that helped me re-furb the house, I had their labour for free and they lived in the house free of rent for a year. The re-furb took about 7 months and it was let as a HMO, so whilst these individuals had the discount for their rooms, the other housemates covered my cost.
Guess if I did this now i'd be against a wall and shot!!
I have a house, EPC F on an exception, it's no des res but it is legal with all it's certificates and smoke alarms etc, no damp or mould ( because the tenants do open their windows) 2 working guys live there, late 50s / early 60s on a low rent, been there more than 5 yrs now, they're happy, I'm happy, horses for courses as the saying goes
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