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Evict a rogue Landlord - Shelter...

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Comments

  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    Another one from the HSE website - a LL who not only failed to comply with the gas regs bur compounded his "omission" by apparently persuading a gas safe engineer to falsify info on a gas safety certificate
    Young couple and baby slept in unsafe rented room

    A Cambridgeshire landlord has been jailed for 16 months after he admitted perverting the course of justice and four separate charges of breaking gas safety law.

    Mr Istiaq Ahmed, of Green Leys, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, was due to be sentenced for health and safety offences earlier this year when he instructed his counsel to present a 'Landlord Gas Safety Record' as part of his mitigation.


    Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which brought the gas safety case, revealed the document to be false - Mr Ahmed had obtained a bogus, back-dated certificate from a local gas engineer.

    Appearing at Peterborough Crown Court for sentencing today (Monday 12 October), Mr Ahmed was imprisoned for 16 months. He had already admitted, at an earlier hearing, perverting the course of justice and four charges in breach of Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
    Source plus press
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    red40 wrote: »
    Yes and this is not the first time Mr Bilings was in trouble with the authorities for example:-
    Yes , he did have a history and that's what makes it all the more shocking.

    Unfortunately, Mr Billings had his jail sentence cut earlier this year, after a payout to his injured former T - see here. The report also says that "representation had been made about the seriousness of 2 of the charges".

    She clearly needed those funds because of the extent of her injuries but many might feel that the sentence should have remained as it was.

    The judge apparently said "I did not make a compensation order as, due to the complexity of the case, it would be more appropriate to seek compensation through the civil courts.". He had however indicated in the earlier hearing that payment to the T could result in a shorter sentence.

    For LLs such as Billings their assets from property letting should be seized IMO, and they should never be allowed to rent a property out again.

    Tenants - get those fire escape routes checked, those smoke alarms checked...
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    Interesting maladministration case from the Housing Ombudsman site, damp and mouldy rented property

    Shows the importance of both LLs and Ts maintaining an adequate paper trail


    http://www.housemark.co.uk/hmkb2.nsf/9/0AF2D3DBB527247E802575BE004C948C?OpenDocument
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    edited 26 September 2010 at 4:20PM
    Expensive spot of DIY boiler installation. Case was on Monday this week

    "A couple who were co-landlords of a Bristol property have been fined after admitting breaching gas safety regulations.

    Atulkulmar Ratilal Patel, 55, and Chetna Atulkulmar Patel, 51, of Beaufort Street, Brynmawr, Gwent, were fined a combined total of £6,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800 at Bristol Magistrates' Court today.

    Mr Patel pleaded guilty to two charges after replacing a boiler without being competent to do so, and without being Gas Safe registered.

    He and his wife both pleaded guilty to another breach of health and safety law for being unable to provide a landlords' certificate."


    Source
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    edited 26 September 2010 at 4:35PM
    Another LL with a large portfolio of properties, who really ought to have known better
    "A Leeds landlord who left his properties overcrowded and without safety certificates has been ordered to pay £14,000. James Warner, of Lingwood, Ling Lane, Scarcroft, was fined £8,000 after pleading guilty at Leeds Magistrates Court to 13 separate charges. He was also ordered to pay £6,000 in costs.

    Mr Warner is landlord of more than 200 properties in Leeds, more than 40 of which are licensed houses in multiple occupancy."
    Apparently some of his properties were overcrowded: one was found to be accommodating 9 people when it was only licensed for 6
    "Coun Peter Gruen, Leeds City Council's executive board member for housing, said: "These licenses exist for a very important reason – to protect tenants.

    "The majority of landlords take their responsibilities seriously but when inspections reveal those who are failing to do so, we will take action against them.

    "I hope this sends out a very clear message, particularly at this time of year when many new students are moving into rented properties for the first time, that if there are problems with your accommodation the council is there to help."

    My bolding. See SOURCE for details of the separate offences involved
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    A letting agency this time, failing to pass on information needed by the Council, so they could take further action over repairs/fire safety.
    Canterbury City Council has successfully prosecuted the proprietors of The Letting Shop, of 76 Castle Street, Canterbury, for failing to comply with legal notices requiring information about a property they let out.

    At Folkestone Magistrates Court on Monday (18 October), Pauline Joyce and Sophie Arnold were found guilty and fined £300 each, with £271.94 costs each.

    The city council became involved in this case following a complaint in May 2004 from one of the tenants about the property's poor quality. The council has a duty to ensure that landlords of private rented properties maintain good standards of repair, provide adequate kitchen and bathroom facilities, and ensure that satisfactory fire safety measures are provided.

    The proprietors of The Letting Shop failed to provide information about the ownership of the property when required to by the city council. It would have helped the council take further action to get standards improved.
    Source
  • theartfullodger
    theartfullodger Posts: 14,455
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    I was going to leave this thread to it's own devices but have just been prompted by SaL (Scottish Association of Landlords) that the Scottish Government has published it's "Private Rented Housing" Bill,
    to strengthen the regulation of the private rented sector and give local authorities more powers to tackle rogue landlords.
    (Scottish Government's words, not mine) .. see
    http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/programme-for-government/2010-11/summary-of-bills/private-rented-housing
    &
    http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/54-prHousing/index.htm

    Cheers!

    Artful
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    Worth returning to from time to time Artful :smiley: - it can be encouraging for Ts ( and all decent LLs ) to see that some rogue LLs do get hauled into court for their shortcomings

    Some new pictures seem to have been added to the Shelter Gallery of Disrepair:

    http://england.shelter.org.uk/what_you_can_do/evictroguelandlords/gallery_of_disrepair
  • BBC1, tonite, 20:30...
    The Great Housing Rip Off?

    With a shortage of social housing, and the private rented market booming, reporter John Sweeney investigates the so-called 'rogue landlords' - the housing barons accused of receiving large amounts of housing benefit while using the small print in their tenancy agreements to exploit the poor and vulnerable.
    Councils say they don't have the right laws to combat them, but with the new housing minister ruling out any changes in the law, Panorama examines a problem that is not going to go away.
  • lynzpower
    lynzpower Posts: 25,311
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    thanks for the tip off artful will watch ;)
    :beer: Well aint funny how its the little things in life that mean the most? Not where you live, the car you drive or the price tag on your clothes.
    Theres no dollar sign on piece of mind
    This Ive come to know...
    So if you agree have a drink with me, raise your glasses for a toast :beer:
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