A trio of Cambridge landlords have been fined more than £8,000 between them, after three separate HMOs were found to be unlicensed.
An inspection of the first house was carried out after a review of council records in February this year. It found the property housing five tenants had been an unlicensed HMO since at least 2018, meaning it was potentially unsafe for the tenants living there.
In July the directors of the company owning the property were issued with a Financial Penalty Notice for the offence totalling £1,898.73.
An inspection of the second house found it was housing seven tenants and had been an unlicensed HMO since at least 2014.
Again in July the landlord was issued with a Financial Penalty Notice for the offence totalling £3,535.89.
Following a further inspection of a third property the council found it had not been licensed since October 2018. The landlord was issued with a Financial Penalty Notice for the offence totalling £2,549.65.
The necessary mandatory HMO licences have now been granted with an additional condition requiring the owners to undertake recognised landlord training within six months.
A Cambridge council statement says: "Where a landlord or property manager receives a civil penalty it can be taken into account when considering whether they are ‘fit and proper’ to be the licence holder for an HMO. In cases where a landlord or property manager receives two or more civil penalties over a 12-month period the council may include their details in the national database of rogue landlords and property agents.”
And a council spokesperson adds: “We hope that this enforcement action will set an example to the small minority of landlords in Cambridge who provide unsafe or poor quality accommodation in the city and fail to get the mandatory licences.
“We will continue to protect the health and safety of tenants in the private rental sector, and help drive up standards, by taking enforcement action when landlords fail to comply with the law.”
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
It found the property housing five tenants had been an unlicensed HMO since at least 2018, meaning it was potentially unsafe for the tenants living there.
Why does it automatically mean it was potentially unsafe?
Why would it be assumed to be any less unsafe if only 3 or 4 people lived in it?
Either it's well maintained and required safety checks are up to date or it isn't.
The only real difference a 5th person would make is the licensing fee.
It's only when 6 or more people live in an HMO that a second toilet, sink and oven are required.
We all know any property with 5 or more unrelated tenants has to be licensed. Any anomalies or confusion on that one were removed 5 years ago. Pre 2018 one and two storey 5 person HMOs didn't have to be licensed. Their level of safety didn't suddenly change overnight. The only thing that changed was the requirement to pay a licence fee.
Wow if we need to answer this question, I am so sorry.
Jo, very good you have read the rules and correct as I see it.
The Problem that I have with this is why has it applied to me for the last 17 years, that’s my grievance about being unfairly treated.
I was required to do it since 2006 for 6 occupants & licensed 4 times repeatedly for a 2 storey detached house that I Built, when checking I was only licensed house in the Road even though they were big Edwardian houses, They all had
the lie including Agent’s that only 4 occupants resided.
Yes I had 2 bathrooms but had to install a second stupid kitchen sink in the same kitchen now it’s a laugh for everyone. I also had to replace the cooker and over with an 8 burner Range Cooker £1’000. and the ducked extractor cost another £400. on its own, both had to be replaced since because of misuse. Licensing fee went from £598. in 2006 to £1600. for most recent.
Then the moped delivery Takeaways turn up every minute. So what gripe or justification do those landlords have that had a free ride for years.Best wishes.
I've just paid £865 for a 5 year license. If I wasn't accredited it would have been £990.
For 6 person HMOs we have the option of a dishwasher instead of a second sink and a microwave combi grill instead of a second oven. Obviously both are more expensive alternatives with a tendancy to need more frequent replacement but it can be useful from a kitchen design point of view.
Oh dear. I had the microwave grill already and the dishwasher.
However I have since removed the dishwasher and will never again install, what a waste of time I could wash the whole lot in 5 minutes flat and if everyone washed their own it would take seconds with Combi Boiler instant hot way, Instead of that noisy thing banging away for an hour and didn’t it choke up with grease. I think we are supposed to be saving energy.
The only thing I take from this is the properties clearly had bit fit for use as they are all now licensed.
The MAIN POINT for me is the council did not do their job for 9 years in one case and 5 years in the other two. What is the point of licensing if the bloody council do not monitor it or police it correctly.
The fine was too low to deter and makes a fool out of landlords that comply.
Yonny, again the council did not do their job correctly. A high number on here also talk about being compliant and yet their properties have never been checked.
What is the Service Level Agreement on this? Inspected once every 5 years or in these particular instances not at all.
Jo, So the license Application fee cost £865.00 but if you weren’t Accredited it would be + £125.00 for to cover that scam.
Accreditation is for Digital Academic Office People adding and uploading brownie points all the time they’re many landlords can’t do that. I was Accredited many times and with 2 different Organisations for several years but they keep expiring.
When people sit an Exam and pass they don’t have to keep re-sitting it.
They didn’t mention if the Tenants will be claiming back the Rent ?.
Please login to comment