Unlicensed landlord instructed to pay more than £47,000

We prosecuted Kamran Adil, of Halterburn Close, Gosforth, bringing nine charges under the Housing Act.

Selective Licensing

Since April 2022, private rented properties in some areas of the county have been required to be licensed under the Selective Licensing scheme, which was brought in to improve conditions in the private rented sector.

The scheme requires all private landlords to obtain a licence to legally rent properties in designated areas of the county, which are subject to inspections to ensure compliance with licensing conditions.

Property inspection

Peterlee Magistrates' Court heard that Adil owns eight properties in Blackhall and that despite receiving several written and verbal warnings from us, reminding him of the legal requirement to apply for a selective licence, he did not have any licence in place for the eight properties.

The court also heard that following an inspection of one of the properties, an officer found that the Electrical Condition Report for the address had been undertaken by an engineer who was not believed to be competent.

A Housing Act Notice was served to Adil as a result, giving 14 days to provide a copy of a valid electrical report but no response was received.

Court hearing

Fifty-two-year-old Adil was found guilty in his absence of eight counts of failing to licence a property and one count of failing to provide a copy of a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report.

He was fined a total of £45,000, ordered to pay costs of £330 and a victim surcharge of £2,000 - a total of £47,330.

Safe accomodation

Lynn Hall, our strategic housing manager, said: "Selective licensing powers exist to help us ensure accommodation is safe and well managed for County Durham residents.

"By avoiding applying for the appropriate licences for his properties, Mr Adil has been left more than £45,000 worse off. This case should serve as a stark warning to other landlords and letting agents of the high financial penalty that can be imposed when they ignore the responsibilities of their role."