A landlord has been issued with Civil Penalty Notices totalling £35,000 in enforcement action taken by St Helens council.

The landlord was responsible for the management of a HMO that accommodated five people, but did not have a licence, which is a statutory requirement.

The council used its powers under the Housing Act 2004 to issue civil penalty notices against the landlord totalling £35,000. 

This included a £10,000 penalty for operating a HMO without a licence and a £25,000 penalty for breaches of HMO Management Regulations.

A council spokesperson says: “We’re pushing for tighter planning controls on the licensing of HMOs, while ensuring licensed landlords are held to account. In this case, the landlord was given every opportunity to apply for the statutory licence but failed to do so. We were left no option but to take firm enforcement action.

“We hope the result of this case demonstrates our commitment to delivering higher housing standards and protecting residents from rogue HMO landlords.

“The recent adoption of our Housing Enforcement Policy and Civil Financial Penalty Policy provides a clear framework for holding negligent landlords to account and ensuring tenants are living in safe, well-managed accommodation. 

“Most landlords provide good-quality homes and comply with their legal responsibilities, but where standards fall short, we will not hesitate to use the full range of enforcement powers available to us.”

This enforcement action also follows council proposals to introduce new rules that would require planning permission for the change of use of a family home to a small HMO for up to six residents.

A consultation on the proposals will launch soon.