Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine Issue 69, November 2016 | Page 26

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24 Landlord & Buy-to-Let Issue 69 • November 2016
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£ 20,000 fine and criminal records for landlord and agent

A Brent landlord and his letting agents have been fined over £ 20,000 and given criminal records for failing to licence his rental property and ignoring their tenants ’ pleas for essential repairs , including to the house ’ s broken boiler . Despite repeated warnings from officers from Brent Council ’ s Private Housing Services team , Khalid Latif and his agents PMC Management and Collections did nothing to bring the property on Chandos Road in Willesden Green up to a licensable standard . The six tenants who lived in the four bed property approached Brent to complain about its poor living conditions , which included no hot water or central heating , rotten and damp fittings and scant regard for basic fire safety principles .

Over a ‘ million renters ’ victim to law-breaking landlords

New research has revealed that in the last year alone over a million – or one in eight – private renters across England are suffering at the hands of a landlord who has broken the law . The survey of over 3,250 renters by Shelter and YouGov uncovered a range of problems with law-breaking landlords committing offences ranging from relatively minor unlawful behaviour to serious criminal offences . While reports of landlords entering homes without permission and deposits not being properly protected were among the most common issues , many cases of more shocking behaviour from rogue landlords were also uncovered in the survey . The report found the equivalent of over 64,000 renters reported that a landlord has cut off their utilities without their consent and almost 50,000 said their belongings had been thrown out of their home and the locks changed Over 600,000 renters have had their home entered by a landlord without permission or notice being given . Over 200,000 reported having been abused , threatened or harassed by a landlord and over 110,000 renters felt they had been treated unfairly due to their race , nationality , gender or sexual orientation . The housing charity is warning that a minority of rogue landlords are causing misery to the lives of renters by committing these civil and criminal offences . Often renters don ’ t know what their rights are .
Watford-based Mr Latif , who has owned the run down property since 2000 , was earning over £ 2,500 per month in rent from it . Brent Magistrates Court heard that Brent Council had repeatedly contacted both Mr Latif and PMC Management and Collections over the course of eight months and visited the house on several occasions to find no repairs had taken place . They were both convicted of failing to licence the property . The magistrates considered the hazards found in the house as aggravated circumstances and fined both Mr Latif and PMC Management and Collections £ 9,500 , with £ 695 each in costs and £ 120 each in victim surcharge – a total of £ 20,630 . Cllr Harbi Farah , Brent Council ’ s Lead
Shelter ’ s helpline adviser , Danielle Goodwin , said : “ Every day at Shelter we speak to people at the end of their tether after a law-breaking landlord has caused chaos in their lives . These
All figures - in the last 12 months , base : 3261
A landlord / agent has entered my home without me being given any notice / chance to give permission
I have been abused / threatened / harassed by a landlord or letting agent
A landlord / agent has cut off a utility ( gas , electricity , water ) without my consent for no good reason
A landlord / agent has thrown my belongings out of the home AND changed the locks
I have paid a deposit to a landlord / agent which has not been protected in a Government scheme
I have been treated unfairly by a landlord / agent due to my race / nationality / gender / sexual orientation
Member for Housing , said : “ Unlicensed , unsafe properties like this are a danger to the entire community and it is unacceptable that anyone in London should have to rent a property that lacks basic facilities like hot water . “ The vast majority of landlords and lettings agents in Brent are honest and law abiding , but we take a zero tolerance approach to the minority who think they can treat their tenants like this . “ Our licensing scheme ensures that landlords maintain their rental properties to a decent standard . If you ’ re a landlord , failure to licence your property could result in an unlimited fine and a criminal record .” Most private landlords in Brent are legally required to obtain a licence for their properties from the council .
range from instances where the renter has been unaware of their rights , to cases where renters are exploited and subjected to terrible experiences by a minority of law breaking landlords .
All renters
Estimated number adult renters ( rounded )
7.5 % 602,500
2.5 % 200,600
. 8 % 64,400
. 6 % 49,500
4.6 % 374,300
1.5 % 118,900
Any one of the above in the last 12 months 12.9 % 1,045,700
Note : Survey results based on a YouGov survey of 3,261 private renters in England , aged 18 +, September 2016 , online , and weighted to fit profile of England ' s private rented sector .