Landlord Fined for Failure to Comply with HMO Licensing Standards

A Leeds-based landlord was the second landlord in the City to be fined for a failure to obtain a license his House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), after what he was taken to Court by the Leeds Councils. Mohammed Arass Butt, who owns a property on Stratford Terrace in Beeston was ordered to pay £840 in fines, £1,207 in Court costs, and a further £15 in victim surcharge; thus, the total sum amounted to £2,062. The landlord was fined and taken to court as his 2-storey property, which was rented out to 5 unrelated people, has not been licensed; let us remind, that according to the Leeds Council regulations, all houses in multiple occupation are to be licensed. Last August, Council officials launched a check on the Beeston property, which, according to the records, was not licensed, but, according to the Council Tax data, represented a House in Multiple Occupation. A raid of the property, carried out by the Environmental Health Officer proved that the property had 5 bedsits as well as a shared bathroom, which meant the property fell under the HMO definition. The prosecution of Mr. Butt took place after a similar case, when Futura 2000 Ltd. has been ordered to pay £5,015 for acting as managing agents for an HMO property, shared by students in Headingley. Let us remind, that the requirement to license all rental properties with more than 4 bedsits and 2 storeys has been reflected in the Housing Act 2004. Upon the introduction of the HMO licensing requirement, the Leeds Councils has processed more than 2,600 applications for HMO licenses. Mr. Les Carter claimed that Leeds has a huge rental property sector with a large number of HMO’s, which makes the licensing issue one of the most urgent ones. He added that the Council will continue to prosecute landlords who fail to comply with the requirements in order to treat fairly “good” landlords and to provide tenants with safe living conditions.