A landlord has been ordered to pay over £58,000 for multiple breaches of housing legislation. 

Alphonsus Hardy, was found guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court of a number of offences relating to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in the city. 

Hardy failed to attend and was convicted, in his absence, of failing to licence the property as required under mandatory HMO licensing requirements, failing to comply with an improvement notice requiring works to address a serious hazard at the property, and a number of offences relating to the management and condition of the HMO. 

The improvement notice required numerous repairs to the property’s windows and doors, the condition of which left the tenants living in what the council calls “unacceptably cold conditions.”

The investigation also identified failures in the management of the HMO, including breaches of fire safety requirements and poor maintenance of both the common parts and living accommodation, leaving the property in a poor condition and state of disrepair. 

A council spokesperson says: “Everyone deserves to live in a safe, warm and properly managed home. It is completely unacceptable when landlords fail to meet the legal standards expected of them and put the wellbeing of their tenants at risk. 

“Private landlords have clear legal responsibilities and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where those responsibilities are ignored. 

“The serious breaches identified in this case fell well below the standards that tenants have a right to expect.” 

The court imposed fines totalling £50,000, comprising £24,000 for failing to licence the property, £12,000 for failing to comply with the improvement notice, and £14,000 for breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations. 

Hardy was also ordered to pay Bristol council prosecution costs of £6,271.01 and a victim surcharge of £2,000.