Private sector housing enforcement

September

• A Luton landlord received a civil penalty for failure to licence a house in multiple occupation and breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.
  Penalty: £4,900 including costs.

• A Luton landlord received a civil penalty for failure to licence a house in multiple occupation and breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.
  Penalty: £1,775 including costs.

August

• A Luton landlord was fined for failing to produce documents relating to the renting of the property, which were required by the council during the course of an investigation.
  Penalty: £4,834 in fines.

April

• A Luton Letting Agent was fined for failing to produce documents which were required by the Council during the course of an investigation.
  Penalty: £1,590 in fines.

November

• A Luton tenant was awarded a Rent Repayment Order amounting to over £2,000 against his landlord, who had operated an HMO without a licence.

October

• A Luton letting agent and its director were found guilty at Luton Magistrates Court of managing three HMOs without a licence and breaches of regulations relating to safety at the premises. The director was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice in relation to the case.
  Penalty: fines of £80,000, £10,000 costs and a community order of 18 months.

• A landlord was convicted of offences relating to breach of HMO licence conditions and the HMO management regulations.
  Penalty: fines of £18,000 and £3,000 costs.

October

• A Luton landlord pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court to a charge under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This followed a fire which broke out at the premises, resulting in the death of one of the tenants.
  Penalty: sentenced to 4 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with a fine of £20,000 and £12,000 costs

December

• A landlord, pleaded to a charge of illegally managing a HMO, and seven breaches of HMO management regulations. As well as operating without a licence, the property had:
• insufficient automatic fire detection
• missing and broken roof tiles
• a hole in the ceiling above the first floor landing
• evidence of rodent infestation
Penalty: £27,000 in fines.

March

• Letting agent, pleaded guilty at Luton Magistrates Court to charges of managing a HMO without a licence and breaching regulations which ensure properties are safe and suitable to be used as HMOs. The company was fined a total of £3,400 with a victim surcharge of £120, and we were awarded costs of £4,220.
  Penalty: £7,740 in fines

November

• Landlord fined for defying a prohibition order on his property, which in reality was little more than a poorly converted garage. The property had become the subject of a prohibition order while under the management of a previous landlord.
  When it changed control the new landlord was still bound by the order. Despite this, he issued new agreements with tenants.
  Penalty: £8,510 in fines

October

• Landlord ordered under Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), to pay nearly £30,000 to us by Luton Crown Court, in relation to five HMOs which were operating without licences and in breach of house in multiple occupation regulations.
  Penalty: £30,000 in fines

August

• A landlord, the managing agent and the director of that company, all found guilty of offences related to a breach of an HMO licence we had granted to them.
  Penalty: £4,000 in fines

January

• Landlord fined for a string of dangerous breaches of legislation designed to protect tenants. In sentencing, the chair of the magistrates court said: "It is clear to us that these offences are motivated by profit without any recourse to regulations or court processes.
  "The defendant has 2 properties not subject to mortgage and received rent from the HMO in excess of £19,000."
  Penalty: £70,000 in fines

October

• Landlord pleaded guilty to one offence of having an unlicensed HMO and seven additional offences relating to management breaches. He had previously received a caution in respect of a licensed HMO at another address.
  Penalty: £11,620 in fines

January

• A landlord and letting agency fined after being found guilty in their absence, of two offences of failing to licence a HMO and nine separate management regulation breaches, at two properties. 
  Penalty: £26,000 in fines
  
• Landlord pleaded guilty to operating a HMO without a licence and three breaches of HMO regulations.  The court concluded that even though he was absent he was responsible for renting out the property in a poor state to the point of being dangerous. 
  Penalty: £16,420 in fines

July 2016

• Landlord pleaded guilty to being in control of 4 HMOs which were not licensed as required by the Housing Act, and to breaches of the management regulations in relation to fire safety.
  Penalty: £18,823.09 in fines

May

• Letting agent fined for:
• providing misleading tenancy agreements
• false advertising
• failing to protect tenant’s deposits
• claiming to be members of  the Association of Residential Letting Agents, (ARLA) when they were not
Penalty: £15,562 in fines

April

• Landlord sentenced for 6 counts of fraud in relation to obtaining properties with false documentation, converting the properties into HMO and then renting the properties out pretending to be the landlord.
  Penalty: 16 months in prison and £7,500 in costs

March

• Landlord pleaded guilty to being in control of an HMO which was not licensed as required by the Housing Act.
  Penalty: £2,375 in fines
  
• Co-owners of the premises, pleaded guilty to five counts of HMO management regulation offences, including insufficient fire protection and blocked fire escapes.
  Penalty: £3,165 in fines