Landlord who rented homes without permission hit with big fine over…

When officers visited they found the properties in Sutton in Ashfield were occupied and also identified safety concerns

A Nottinghamshire landlord has been fined thousands of pounds for failing to notify the authorities that he was letting out his properties. Ashfield District Council advised the anonymous proprietor multiple times that he needed to apply for a permit for the two houses he rented in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

However, he did not comply and was fined £17,500. He accepted the fine and, in exchange, the council has agreed not to name him, despite the fact that he is from Southwell.

Not all private rented properties need a licence. But some do, as part of a scheme called “Selective Licensing”, where all properties in a certain area are covered and need to be applied for.

The policy is intended to ensure that landlords take care of the properties they rent out, knowing that their licence may be revoked if they do not. In this situation, the council contacted the landlord multiple times and even issued a last warning about the implications if he did not comply.

Officers visited his two residences after he continued to ignore the warnings, discovering them occupied and unsafe. These concerns are being addressed independently from the licencing offences.

According to Ashfield District Council’s Executive Director of Place, John Bennett, letting a privately rented house in a specified area without a Selective Licence is a criminal crime. The penalties include prosecution and an infinite fine or a pecuniary penalty up to £30,000. Enforcement action is always a last result, we will always try to engage with, and support landlords to apply for their license first.

“Selective Licencing has brought real positive changes to the designated areas, it allows the Council to regulate the housing for the safety of both the tenants and the landlords.”

The landlord is one of dozens who have received fines since the beginning of the Selective Licencing scheme. In total, six fines totaling £56,500 were served.

The maximum fine for landlords is £30,000. According to Ashfield District Council, there are also ten investigations into “similar offences” continuing.