Posts with tag: rogue landlords

Rogue landlord in Bradford fined £16,000

Published On: July 11, 2017 at 11:40 am

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A rogue landlord with property in Bradford has been ordered to pay close to £16,000 after being guilty of renting out dirty and dangerous flats in the city.

Mr Hasan Kazi was told to pay the cash after pleading guilty to renting out flats in Shearbridge Bradford that were in a terrible state of repair.

Obstructions

Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Kazi let the properties with fire escapes obstructed and with no safe means of escape. In addition, he failed to maintain fixtures and fittings and failed to provide his name or telephone number.

Mr Kazi managed a building containing 11 flats close to the University of Bradford. He was fined £12,940 for charges relating to condition of these properties, a £170 victim surcharge and £2,700 costs to Bradford Council.

The court heard that an environmental health officer from Bradford Council inspected the flats in July of last year and found several issues, including blocked fire escapes.

Other deficiencies included a smoke detector hanging off, exposed electrical sockets and dangerous light fittings.

Rogue landlord in Bradford fined £16,000

Rogue landlord in Bradford fined £16,000

Responsibilities

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, noted: ‘Anyone renting out property has a serious responsibility to ensure that their tenants are safe and free from health hazards.’[1]

‘They also need to make sure that the property is maintained in good repair and meets the standards required. In this case, not only was the property in a bad state it also put the lives of residents at risk. We will not hesitate to put irresponsible landlords before the courts.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/7/slum-landlord-order-to-pay-almost-16k-for-filthy-and-dangerous-properties

[2]

Almost 6,300 Rogue Landlord Complaints Filed in Three Years in the North East

Published On: May 8, 2017 at 10:07 am

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Tenants in the North East of England filed almost 6,300 rogue landlord complaints between 2014-2016.

Almost 6,300 Rogue Landlord Complaints Filed in Three Years in the North East

Almost 6,300 Rogue Landlord Complaints Filed in Three Years in the North East

A Freedom of Information request submitted to the Tyne and Wear authorities by local property campaigner Ajay Jagota shows that the five councils received a total of 6,297 complaints about the condition of their private rental properties or the behaviour of their landlord during the three-year period.

Some 2,075 complaints were received in 2016, which, although is up by 3.4% on the 2,007 recorded in 2014, is actually down on the 2,215 complaints received in 2015.

Jagota, the Founder of KIS sales and letting agent, says: “To put these figures into context, every day in every local authority in Tyne and Wear, at least one person complains about the condition of their rented home, yet only one rogue landlord has been convicted in three years.”

Separate research shows that just one council – Sunderland – has brought a successful prosecution against a rogue landlord in the corresponding period.

The highest number of rogue landlord complaints was received in Newcastle, where complaints rose steadily from 1,007 in 2014 to 1,127 in 2016 – an increase of 8%.

In contrast, Sunderland saw rogue landlord complaints drop from 509 in 2014 to 290 last year, while Gateshead and North Tyneside recorded declines from 2014 to 2015, but experienced growth again in 2016, leaving them 7% and 4% below 2014 levels respectively.

South Tyneside Council refused to supply the information, claiming that it would take an officer 18 hours to retrieve it, what the authority describes as “substantial effort and disproportionate exercise of trawling”. The decision has been appealed.

Jagota reacts: “As both a resident of and business owner in South Tyneside, I find their decision to refuse our request extraordinary. How can you admit that you hold some information, but at the same time claim you don’t know where it is?”

With the General Election campaign underway, all the main political parties are making a pitch to voters that rent, but Jagota fears that the proposed policies “are just tinkering around the edges when more profound reform is needed”.

He adds: “It’s critical for all good operators in the private rented sector that the rogues are brought to task, and the only way that can happen is that the local authority executes the powers invested in them and ensure they take action when complaints are made.”

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First Private Landlord in Scotland Granted Disqualification Order

Published On: May 8, 2017 at 9:24 am

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A court in Fife has granted the first disqualification order against a private landlord in Scotland.

First Private Landlord in Scotland Granted Disqualification Order

First Private Landlord in Scotland Granted Disqualification Order

The man, understood to be Mohammed Murtaza, 47, from Kirkcaldy, was found guilty of breaching both the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. Sheriff Gilchrist described the case as “a flagrant breach of legislation”.

The landlord was convicted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for continuing as a landlord, even though his registration had been rejected by Fife Council in 2015, because he had six previous convictions for failing to comply with his private landlord duties under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 and for being in breach of Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998.

John Mills, the Head of Housing at Fife Council, comments on the case: “A significant proportion of private landlords are of good character and comply with the law. However, there are some who act unlawfully.

“We work closely with our partner services, including Private Housing Standards, Safer Communities, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland, to assist and support landlords to comply with the legislative requirements of being fit and proper landlords.”

He adds: “The outcome of this particular case sends a clear message to private landlords in Fife that the council will continue to take all appropriate action to protect tenants and improve property standards in the private sector.”

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We encourage all landlords to stick to the law and provide safe, secure homes for their tenants.

Landlord Accreditation Scheme Protecting Tenants from Rogues

Published On: May 8, 2017 at 8:18 am

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A new landlord accreditation scheme is protecting private tenants from rogue operators in the private rental sector.

Over the past six months, 51 landlords have completed the training and accreditation scheme in North Somerset, which aims to protect good tenants and enable the local authority to effectively target rogue landlords across the district.

Landlord Accreditation Scheme Protecting Tenants from Rogues

Landlord Accreditation Scheme Protecting Tenants from Rogues

Since the first National Landlords Code of Excellence (NLCE UK) training day took place in November 2016, over 60 landlords and letting agents around the country have joined the scheme, with ten more becoming accredited just last week, bringing the total number of accredited members to 56.

The NLCE UK has already accredited more than 1,236 private rental properties, represented by the 56 accredited landlords.

This is broken down by several areas:

  • North Somerset: 1,091 properties
  • Bristol: 85 properties
  • South Yorkshire: 52 properties
  • Dorset: Two properties
  • Hampshire: Six properties

The landlord accreditation scheme allows tenants to report property maintenance/repair issues, as well as anti-social behaviour problems within their communities. Primarily, this ensures that the criteria for the Deregulation Act 2015 is met, as well as preventing bogus claims from tenants, such as that they have reported a repair and the landlord has not responded, and vice versa.

Over 20 complaints from private tenants in North Somerset have already been reported through the NLCE UK portal, about landlords unknown to the organisation. This has given these landlords the chance to deal with the problems before they escalate to the council. The most recent case prevented an unprotected tenancy deposit dispute going to court.

Those that attended the NLCE UK’s one-day course on 26th April 2017 were able to learn more about housing private tenants and complying with legislation in the private rental sector.

Sam Jackson, the Director of the NLCE UK and an experienced buy-to-let landlord, comments: “At the NLCE, we are currently working with North Somerset Council on a weekly basis. I still get asked a lot: ‘Why should I join, if my property is already licensed?’ The accreditation day in its own right is worth joining the scheme, after attending the training day, one landlord said: ‘After 17 years of being a landlord, I thought I realised what was needed. After seven pages of notes, I realised how much I didn’t know.’

“The training day is a great opportunity to network and learn how to save thousands of pounds, run by a professional trainer who also trains landlords for the National Landlords Association.”

The NLCE UK was set up in response to North Somerset Council’s plans to introduce a selective licensing scheme in Weston-super-Mare town centre last year.

Online database to name and shame rogues in the capital

Published On: April 27, 2017 at 8:42 am

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Rogue landlords and letting agents who wrongfully exploit their tenants will be named on a new online database aimed at protecting the two million private renters in London.

The measure was announced by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who said the database would be built in partnership with London Boroughs.

Criminals

Criminal landlords and letting agents who have been convicted for housing offences will appear on the list. Mr Khan hopes that this will give Londoners greater confidence to rent in the capital, by allowing tenants to check their would-be landlord or agent against this database.

The scheme is due to launch in the coming Autumn and will enable all London councils to easily share information on landlords’ criminal history.

During the next few months, the database will be developed with information from six councils, namely:

  • Newham
  • Brent
  • Camden
  • Southwark
  • Kingston
  • Sutton
Online database to name and shame rogues in the capital

Online database to name and shame rogues in the capital

Support

Speaking about the database, the Mayor said: ‘I refuse to stand by as thousands of Londoners suffer sky-high rents and horrendous living conditions in a city they call home.’

‘Today I have seen first-hand the abysmal conditions that some of London’s private renters are forced to endure as a result of rogue landlords. I want to be clear that the vast majority of landlords treat renters well – but a minority are exploiting their tenants and it’s simply unacceptable. This must stop now.’

‘To help renters, I will be working in partnership with London Boroughs to launch my new ‘name and shame’ database of criminal landlords and letting agents to help Londoners before they rent a property, and to deter dishonest landlords and agents from operating.’

‘I fully support the excellent work councils like Newham are doing to target the worst offenders in their borough. I will continue to support them and other boroughs who use licensing schemes effectively to drive up standards in the private rented sector.’[1]

Easier

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the National Landlords Association, observed: ‘The Mayor’s ‘name and shame’ online database brings information on criminal landlords and agents together to make it much easier for renters to find and avoid landlords anyone who has been prosecuted for housing related crimes. Importantly, it is also the first time renters have had a central online tool that should take some of the stress out of reporting potentially criminal housing conditions to their local authority.’[1]

David Cox, Chief Executive at ARLA Propertymark said: ‘ARLA Propertymark welcomes the Mayor’s announcement today of the ‘name and shame’ criminal landlord database. We have campaigned for the government’s database of banned letting agents to be publicly available as, with no public access to the database, how will landlords or tenants know if they are using a banned agent? This online database overcomes that problem and means tenants and landlords in London can rent with the confidence of knowing their agent has not committed any offences.’[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/criminal-landlords-to-be-named-and-shamed-by-mayor.html

Fergus Wilson makes it back into the Headlines with Controversial Ban

Published On: March 30, 2017 at 8:45 am

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Fergus Wilson, one of Britain’s biggest buy-to-let landlords, has made it back into the headlines with yet another controversial ban.

Wilson, 69, has now banned “coloured” people from renting his properties because, he says, they leave them smelling of curry.

Fergus Wilson makes it back into the Headlines with Controversial Ban

Fergus Wilson makes it back into the Headlines with Controversial Ban

In an email to the letting agent acting on behalf of Wilson, who runs a property empire in Kent, he said: “No coloured people because of the curry smell at the end of the tenancy.”

When contacted by The Sun, Wilson defended his comments, saying: “To be honest, we’re getting overloaded with coloured people. It is a problem with certain types of coloured people – those who consume curry – it sticks to the carpet. You have to get some chemical thing that takes the smell out. In extreme cases, you have to replace the carpet.”

Earlier this year, Wilson made headlines after saying that he would no longer accept victims of domestic violence as tenants, as jealous or angry partners typically cause damage to the property by kicking down front doors and punching holes in the interior.

Single parents, workers on low incomes, families with children, pet owners, smokers and single adults were also among those who Wilson banned from his properties.

A spokesperson for the campaign group Hope Not Hate responded: “You simply cannot treat people like this and deny them a place to live due to their skin colour.

“This is the unacceptable face of the housing crisis. There is something broken in the system when such a powerful figure can get away with such an appalling policy.”

They added: “Fergus Wilson’s comments would seem laughably offensive, a throwback to the Alf Garnett era, if they weren’t so serious in their implication.”

Rebecca Hilsenrath, the Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, also reacted: “There are still deep inequalities in our society, as our race report demonstrated, and these comments show why.

“As a country, we all assume we have left the dark ages behind, but clearly there is more to be done.

“We will investigate and will be asking Mr. Wilson to explain his actions. Unless we are satisfied that he will not break the law in the future, we will take legal action.”

And the Manager at letting agent Evolution, which manages a number of Wilson’s properties, Roy Fever, insisted: “We don’t condone this at all. We would never implement a policy like that. We put through anyone to the landlord and it is up to the landlord who they take on.”