Fines for Illegal Holiday Lets and Unlicensed HMOs

Noisy parties in flats illegally rented out as holiday lets have cost landlord George Nathanel and his company Zanubia Properties more than £75,000 in fines and costs.

Planning permission was granted in 2015 to allow the flats to trade as buy-to-let rentals, but Nathanel ignored the planning conditions laid down by Barnet Council. The flats were instead advertised on holiday booking sites, like AirBnB.

Both properties were rented by groups who often held parties, which triggered complaints from neighbours.

The council claimed the flats were rented as holiday lets for at least 220 days during the first 10 months of 2024. Planning regulations in London only permit properties to be used for short-term lettings for no more than 90 nights in a calendar year without specific planning permission.

The council served a Breach of Condition Notice to stop the short-term rentals, but Nathanel still failed to comply with the notice, Willesden Magistrates' Court heard in his absence.

Claiming he was living in Russia with his children and was awaiting an operation, he did not attend the hearing. In earlier correspondence with the council, though, he had sought to shift blame to what he described as 'long-term tenants' and claimed he was unaware of any short-term rentals via Airbnb and Booking.com.

Evidence provided by the prosecution, however, showed at least 220 days of occupancy across the two flats in the first 10 months of 2024. Under London planning regulations, properties can only be used for short-term lettings for a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year without specific planning permission - so Nathanel's operation was more than double the legal limit.

Nathanel was found guilty of failing to comply with the Breach of Condition Notice and ordered to pay a £75,000 fine plus costs of £5,400 and a victim surcharge of £2,000.

£60,000 fine for unlicensed HMOs

A landlord who housed workers in three unlicensed shared houses has been hit with a massive £60,000 fine.

Jayanti Patel, director of Martlane Ltd, must pay £60,200 for running three shared houses without licences.

Epping Forest District Council found that Patel was housing staff in three separate properties, which were overcrowded and breached fire safety rules.

Room for improvements at flat

A landlord who ignored an improvement notice demanding repairs to a rented flat must pay fines and costs of more than £16,000.

Arun Council's housing team had inspected the flat in Littlehampton, West Sussex, revealing several health and safety issues, including damp, mould and excess cold, as well as windows and doors needing repair.

The improvement notice was served listing remedial works to bring the flat up to acceptable living standards.

However, the landlord Vilma Edmonds and her property company Meynell Limited failed to do the work and ended up before Crawley Magistrates, where both were found guilty in their absence of ignoring the improvement notice.

They were ordered to pay fines and costs of £16,267.