Landlord fined £115,181 for housing offences

A landlord has been fined a total of £115,181 for offences under the Housing Act 2004, following a number of complaints received. 

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Private Sector Housing Team inspected the four properties in March 2020 under a housing warrant after complaints were raised over noise concerns, fly-tipping and waste accumulations. It was found that all four properties were unlicensed houses in multiple occupation and that each had significant defects.

During the sentencing which took place on Thursday 20 April at Northampton Magistrates Court, the District Judge stated that the tenants were vulnerable and there was reasonable expectation that the landlord would provide a safe home. In this case, without the intervention of the Council nothing would have been done to improve living conditions for the tenants.

The landlord was ordered to pay the following:

• £100,000 fine
• £15,000 contribution to the Council
• £181 statutory victim surcharge

“It is a landlord’s responsibility to maintain their properties and ensure they do not become a burden on the community. In this case, it is clear from the complaints received that the landlord had little respect for the tenants or the area in which the property is situated. 


“I hope this prosecution is a warning to all rogue landlords as our Housing Team are committed to making renting safer for our residents and stopping rogue and criminal landlords. This case demonstrates that we will act when members of the public contact us with their concerns. If you have a concern, please do report it via our website so our team can investigate further.”Councillor Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure