Landlords Fined for HMO and Eviction Offences

The manager of a shared house in multiple occupation has been fined twice for licensing and management offences in nine months.

Mark Gibson was ordered to pay £7,738 in fines and costs by Basingstoke magistrates in September for renting out the home without a licence and two health and safety offences.

Now, the magistrates have ordered him to pay another fine of £1,320 with £1,390 costs and for continuing to rent out the same HMO without a licence and three health and safety offences.

Basingtoke Council's cabinet member for residents' services and housing, Cllr Laura James, said: "This case, which is the second time we have taken prosecution action against this landlord in the past year, demonstrates that we will continue to act in the best interests of the residents who are subjected to these poor housing conditions and will take action against those responsible."

HMO Ban for Convicted Landlord

Landlord Sebastian Orszak faces a ban on holding an HMO licence after admitting to renting out a shared house without a licence in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

Although he admitted the offence last year, Orszak has only recently been sentenced at Crawley Magistrates' Court, where he was fined £223 and ordered to pay £339 in costs.

Operating an unlicensed HMO can be a criminal offence, leading to a ban on holding a licence.

Ignoring EPC Rules Costs Landlord £4,500

Councillors in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, are hunting for landlords renting out homes with low-rated EPCs.

Only homes rated E or higher can be rented, and the council is checking that those with lower ratings are off the market.

The council has fined one landlord several times for flouting the rules, with the penalties adding up to almost £4,500.

Family Dumped on Street in Illegal Eviction

A family with children was dumped on the street when a landlord and his property manager carried out an illegal eviction.

The pair threw the family out of their rented home in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, leaving their belongings piled on a driveway.

Police were called, and bodycam video captured the landlord, Jamie Purton, and Arslan Anjum behaving aggressively towards the family while verbally abusing them.

The pair were found guilty of the illegal eviction by Peterborough Magistrates.

Purton was sentenced to three months in jail, suspended for 18 months, and must follow a monitored 7 pm to 7 am curfew. Anjum was sentenced to 160 hours of unpaid community work.

Both were ordered to pay prosecution costs of £9,592 between them.

The judge said: "This is a despicable act, and something that is quite wicked when you think about the impact that it has had. It must have been confusing and frightening for them."

£20,000 Fine for Landlord Brothers

Landlord brothers who crammed 15 tenants into a seven-bedroom house were fined £20,000 by magistrates.

Vimal and Ravi Kanji Bhudia rented out the home to students who slept on mattresses on the floor with two or three to a room.

The pair admitted to renting out the home without a licence and several health and safety offences at Willesden Magistrates' Court, North London.