Nottingham landlord fined for contravening an emergency prohibition order
Nottingham landlord fined for leaving a tenant without central heating and ignoring a prohibition order
A Nottingham landlord defied an order issued by Nottingham City Council (NCC) banning tenants from living at the property resulting in him being handed a bill for £2,681.
The property, on Sneinton Boulevard was initially reported to NCC in December 2014 when the current tenant reported that she had “no heating or hot water”. Following an inspection, NCC Officers issued a prohibition order preventing the property being rented out due to the presence of two category 1 hazards; excess cold, and a risk of falling on the stairs.
However, one year later council tax records revealed that a new tenant had moved into the property where only minor decorative work had been undertaken so the house still had no central heating and a highly dangerous staircase. The new tenant had also reported an infestation of pigeons in the loft!
Nottingham Magistrates stated during the case that the landlord is “a very lucky man not be facing very serious charges” as “it is fairly obvious that the council are not happy with this property. You have not shown reasonable care and skill as a professional landlord of many properties.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to contravening an emergency prohibition notice by allowing the house to be occupied between October 2015 and February 2016 and he was ordered to pay a fine of £1,325, the council’s £1,075 investigation costs, £161 legal bill and a £120 government surcharge.
A full new article on this decision can be found here.
