A landlord operating an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation has been found guilty and ordered to pay a total of £4,272.

Justice Arifa Smart was the owner and landlord of a property in London SE17 which was inspected by Southwark council and found to be operating as an unlicenced HMO.

Smart failed to respond to requests by the council to provide information or alternatively to apply for a licence and as such was left with no other option but to refer the matter for prosecution.

Smart was found guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court and failed to attend the sentencing hearing where he was fined a total of £1,980 for the failure to licence his property, failure to produce documentation and failing to provide information relating to the occupation of the property, in addition he was also subject to a victim surcharge of £792 and costs of £1,500.

The landlords of unlicensed properties can also be made the subject of a Rent Repayment Order if the tenants of an unlicensed property make a request to the First Tier Tribunal, this can result in the tenants receiving a refund of their rent from their landlord.

A spokesperson for the council says: “Unscrupulous landlords have no place in Southwark. This case sends a clear message that we will not tolerate rogue landlords who ignore their legal responsibilities and put tenants in harms way.

“Tenants deserve to live in safe conditions and we are committed to upholding our licensing requirements.  We urge all landlords to comply with the law or face the consequences.”