A council has won an appeal to enforce a Fixed Penalty Notice that was served on a landlord for operating without an HMO licence in place.

A penalty to the total value of £18,500.00 was served on the landlord back in July 2025 because they failed to submit a renewal HMO application, despite numerous reminders by the council.

The decision of the Residential Property Tribunal was to impose the penalty for the sum of £18,272.00 after deducting the appeal fees for the co-owners of the property. 

East Staffordshire council has served over 43 such penalties on rogue landlords totalling over £224,000.

It is a criminal offence to let a privately rented property which is ran as an HMO or in a Selective Licensing area without a licence in place. 

Penalties include prosecution and an unlimited fine or a financial penalty up to £40,000. 

A council spokesperson says: “Whilst the majority of landlords have complied with the HMO licensing, there remain some landlords that have not. Our officers are actively investigating all cases of none-compliance and will consider enforcement action for any landlord that is found to be in breach of the requirements. 

“I would therefore encourage any landlord that has not complied to submit an application without delay.”