Landlord fined for breaking occupancy laws

News Category: Legal

This article was brought to you by Rentman the premium rent management software.

A landlord in Essex has been fined £6,000 after it was found he was illegally renting out rooms in one of his properties.

Marcus Brade was letting out rooms in a house in Vange despite the property not being properly registered and licensed for multiple occupation.

Frank Tomlin, Basildon Council's cabinet member for housing, said Mr Brade had been given "ample opportunity" to ensure he had the correct licenses, reports the Basildon Echo.

He said: "By choosing to provide false information and ignore the advice of the council, we had no choice but to prosecute."

Mr Tomlin added that Basildon Council will continue to seek out landlords who break the law in order to protect tenants.

As well as the fine, Mr Brade was ordered to pay £1,400 towards the cost of the court case.

This comes after landlord Michael Billings was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail after tenant Layla Skalli almost died in a house fire in one of his properties.

How to stay legally compliant with letting agency software