Wellingborough landlords ordered to pay thousands after running unlicensed HMOs

Two landlords in Wellingborough have been told they must cough up thousands after operating unlicensed Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs).

Wellingborough Council dished out penalty notices for £6,000 and £8,250 for the two individuals, but did not name them because the penalty is a civil sanction rather than criminal.

Officers from the council’s private sector housing team investigated and found sufficient evidence to pursue action against both landlords.

Cllr Graham Lawman, chairman of the council’s services committee, said: “This is an excellent result and highlights the work the council’s private sector housing team do to monitor and maintain compliance and standards in the private rented sector.

“Council officers usually try to educate and work with landlords to secure compliance informally, but this should send a strong message to landlords that should they fail to act on officers’ advice or fail to comply with statutory obligations, officers will not hesitate to use the wide range of legal tools available to them.”

From October 2018 mandatory HMO licencing requirements changed.

Previously only larger HMOs of three or more storeys and occupied by five or more persons forming at least two separate households were required to be licensed.

Mandatory licensing of HMOs in England now includes many smaller properties housing five or more people in two or more separate households, regardless of the number of storeys.

Civil penalties of up to £30,000 may be imposed by a local authority for certain housing offences including not licensing a licensable HMO, failure to comply with an improvement or overcrowding notice and failure to comply with HMO management regulations.

They are a way of making sure landlords are held to account and so rented properties are properly managed and maintained in suitable and safe condition for tenants.

Any income the council receives from civil penalties can be used to reinvest in the council’s private sector housing service.