Landlords Fined Over £400K for Property Violations

Magistrates dished out massive fines to a landlord couple for ignoring an improvement notice.

Mansfield Magistrates Court ordered husband and wife Baminy Suresh, 40, and Suresh Thanabalsingham, 46, of Cheapside, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, to pay £171,964 in fines and costs for failing to carry out a list of repairs on an improvement notice issued by Bassetlaw Council.

Nearly two years ago, council housing officers visited two private rented homes owned by the couple following complaints from tenants.

The council team found 14 electrical and structural issues at the properties, which led to serving the improvement order.

Despite several requests to resolve the issues, further checks at the properties found only partial compliance with the improvement order.

The landlords, who own a £1.2 million property portfolio generating rents of around £211,000 a year, were ordered to file financial information with the court ahead of sentencing, but the order was ignored.

Thanabalsingham was ordered to pay a fine of £70,000, a £28,000 victim surcharge and £1,982 costs. Baminy Suresh must pay a £50,000 fine, a £20,000 victim surcharge and costs of £1,982.

A court can impose an unlimited fine for failing to comply with an improvement notice.

Landlord fined for leaving tenants in the cold

Leaving tenants in a damp and mouldy flat led to a £16,267 fine for a private landlord.

Crawley Magistrates Court heard landlord Vilma Edmonds, the only director of property management company Meynell Ltd, had sole responsibility for the property in Bayford Road, Littlehampton, but failed to carry out essential repairs.

Arun District Council repeatedly ordered her to sort out problems, including damp, mould growth, and excessive cold, as well as repairing windows and doors.

An improvement notice was served demanding repair works to bring the property to acceptable living standards.

But Edmonds and her company ignored the notice. They were both found guilty in their absence at the court and ordered to pay £16,267 fines and costs.

Rule-breaking costs letting agents more than £100,000

A North London council has fined letting agents more than £100,000 for breaking money protection laws.

Haringey Council fined 16 letting agents for failing to comply with Client Money Protection (CMP) rules and not clearly displaying fees, as required by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Money protection rules aim to protect rental income and deposits, ensuring that landlords and tenants do not lose money if a letting agent goes out of business or commits fraud.

Meanwhile, Coventry City Council has published a list of housing offences and fines imposed on criminal landlords.

The council has issued penalties totalling more than £400,000 in the past 12 months.

The fines range from £28,997 for running an unlicensed shared house in multiple occupation (HMO) to two separate landlords fined £1,000 for not having an electrical installation report and non-compliance with the terms of an HMO licence.

Although the housing offences and penalties are listed, the landlords remain anonymous.