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Landlord of damp and dangerous homes ordered to pay £70,000
A landlord said to own properties managed by her partner’s letting agency has been hit with a bill of nearly £70,000 for letting out damp, dangerous and mice-infested homes.
The two properties in Chatham, Kent, included one where tenants lived in rooms riddled with damp and dangerous electrics. There were also mice. The conservatory roof was structurally dangerous and could have fallen through at any time, said council officers.
A second property also had severe damp and mould, defective locks and structural cracks.
Linda Noyes failed to attend Medway Magistrates Court and was found guilty in her absence of 13 counts of failing to address hazards contained in two improvement notices, and ordered to pay a total of £68,879.05.
For one property she was fined £35,000, costs of £1,694 and a £120 victim surcharge.
For the second, she was fined £30,000, with costs of £1,945 and another £120 victim surcharge.
According to the local newspaper report, Noyes owns several properties within a portfolio of over 270 managed by her partner’s letting agency HRH Estates.
The paper also reports that another Medway landlord, Nitin ‘Nick’ King appeared in court on the same day.
He owns and manages more than 250 Medway rental properties and left tenants living in a house in Chatham, which had dangerous stairs and steps and inadequate fire precautions.
Council officers also found the basement so damp that they had to impose a prohibition order to prevent anyone from living there.
King appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to comply with an improvement notice.
He was fined £11,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,050 and £120 victim surcharge.
Medway Council’s head of housing, Cllr Howard Doe, said: “The large fines given in these cases reflect the seriousness of the offences and demonstrate that the council is dedicated to tackling poor quality housing and rogue landlords.”
http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/landlord-hit-with-70000-bill-over-damp-and-dangerous-homes/
