Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Southwark landlord has been fined £4,272 after being guilty of operating an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.
Following an inspection, Justice Afrifa Smart, who is a householder and the landlord of a house on Hillingdon Street, was deemed to operate a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) without any license granted from Southwark Council.
As Mr Smart failed to respond to Southwark Council’s requests either for information or to apply for a license, they had no alternative but to refer him for prosecution.
He was convicted on January 8 at Croydon Magistrates’ Court and did not show up for the sentencing hearing on January 20.
He was fined £1,980 for failing to obtain a property license, failing to provide documentation, and failing to disclose information about the property’s occupation.
In addition, he had to pay £1,500 in fees and a £792 victim surcharge.
How will Southwark’s crackdown on unlicensed landlords affect tenants?
Tenants of unregistered properties may also request a Rent Repayment Order from the First Tier Tribunal, which would then apply to the proprietors of those buildings. The landlord may decide to reimburse the rent to the tenants as a result.
Councillor Natasha Ennin, cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, said:
“Unscrupulous landlords have no place in Southwark. This case sends a clear message that we will not tolerate rogue landlords who ignore their legal responsibilities and put tenants in harm’s way.
Tenants deserve to live in safe conditions and we are committed to upholding our licensing requirements. We urge all landlords to comply with the law or face the consequences.”
How is Southwark Council enforcing HMO licensing to protect tenants?
Southwark Council has recently taken action against landlords who disregarded the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) license requirements.
The council has four licensing programs in place: selective, additional, and mandatory HMO.
On March 1, 2022, selective licensing in five council wards and a new borough-wide supplementary licensing scheme went into effect.
On November 1, 2023, a second selective licensing program that covered 14 more wards went into effect.
Each violation of licensing terms carries a fine of up to £30,000.
3,646 properties were licensed by the council as of April 2020.
The public record of licensed properties maintained by the council is searchable and updated on a regular basis.