A Nottinghamshire landlord has been fined thousands of pounds after failing to tell the council that he was letting his properties out. The unnamed proprietor was warned several times by Ashfield District Council that he needed to apply for a licence for the two houses he was renting in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
But he didn’t and was slapped with a £17,500 penalty. He accepted the fine – and as a bargain, is not being named by the council, although they have said that he is from Southwell.
Not all private rented properties need a licence. But some do, as part of a scheme called “Selective Licensing”, where all properties in a certain area are covered and need to be applied for.
The program’s goal is to make sure landlords maintain the properties they rent out, as failing to do so could result in the revocation of their licencing. In this instance, the council contacted the landlord multiple times and even issued a last warning, threatening to take legal action if he didn’t comply.
Officers inspected his two residences and discovered them to be occupied with safety concerns after he disregarded the warnings. The licencing offences are being handled separately from those issues.
“Letting a privately rented property in a designated area without a Selective Licence in place is a criminal offence,” stated John Bennett, Executive Director of Place for Ashfield District Council. Prosecution and a fine that never expires or a monetary penalty of up to £30,000 are possible punishments. We will always make an effort to interact with and assist landlords in obtaining their licence before taking enforcement action.
“Selective licencing has allowed the Council to regulate housing for the safety of both tenants and landlords, which has brought about really positive changes to the designated areas.”
Several people have been hit with fines since the inception of the Selective Licencing programme, including the landlord. £56,500 in fines have been served in total—six in all.
A landlord may only be fined a maximum of £30,000. According to Ashfield District Council, ten investigations into “similar offences” are also presently in progress.
