A landlord has been fined more than £8,000 for failing to complete necessary improvements to properties.
Eric Bland pleaded guilty at Chesterfield magistrates’ court to offences of failing to comply with the requirements of Improvement Notices relating to two flats he owned.
Chesterfield council served the notices in 2020 and 2021 after a total of three ‘category one’ hazards and seven ‘category two‘ hazards were identified in the properties - including excess cold, fire safety and electrical hazards.
One tenant was without a proper heating system for a number of years and both properties required complete electrical rewires as the installations were in poor condition when tested.
Bland’s barrister gave information in mitigation to the court. Although Bland did eventually install a heating system in one flat, all the other required works had to be carried out by Chesterfield council after Bland failed to comply.
The landlord is in the process of repaying the council for the costs of those works.
At the sentencing hearing Bland was issued with a total of £8,000 in fines together with a £190 victim surcharge and was ordered to pay £4,000 costs to the council.
A council spokesperson says: “Our private sector housing team is committed to protecting those living in the private housing sector. Making sure tenants are safe in their homes is a top priority and we will take appropriate action against landlords who fail to comply and rent properties that fall below the required standards.
“This should be seen as a strong warning to landlords, throughout the borough, that they must ensure that the properties they let meet acceptable housing standards and that they must comply with the rules or face the consequences.”
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I always find it curious when the victim surcharge is minimal, but the large fine goes into the council’s coffers. Surely the lions share should do to the tenants who’s endured the suffering!
The fines don’t go to the council they go to the Govt consolidated fund. The council only recovers their costs of bringing the case. The Housing and Planning Act allows the tenants to make a Rent Repayment Order claim for certain offences which includes the offence under s30 Housing Act 2004 of failing to comply with an improvement notice. The tenants can also bring civil claims for disrepair or using The Homes Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 against their landlord.
Personally I think that a fine of £8,000 for two properties and over a number of years is not actually that much of a deterrent. If you forget to pay Heathrow airport £5, for dropping someone at the airport within 24hrs its an automatic £200 fine!! I'm sure that the LL received more than £8,000 in rent over the years that the tenants had to suffer with poor condition. A deterrent needs to be strong enough that when the council served the notices, the LL knows that they will be severely out of pocket if the work isn't completed. Landlords like this tarnish the whole sector.
The courts system needs to be sorted out. Why does it take so long to enforce these things?
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