Landlord fined for letting poor-quality property
News Category: Legal
Published: 06-Jan-2010
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A landlord in St Helens has been fined for letting out an accommodation with a range of problems including damp, rotten windows and no heating.
John Russell, 45, from Manchester, was ordered to pay £1,000 for the failings at St Helens Magistrate Court.
The property has been let to a young woman described as "particularly vulnerable" in court, reports Residential Landlord.
Other problems included a broken cooker, faulty stairs and no gas safety certificate.
Russell was told to improve the property by environmental health officers in October 2008 but had failed to do so when they returned six months later.
Following the verdict, St Helens council said it wanted to work alongside local landlords to ensure standards were met but was willing to prosecute those deemed to putting the health and safety of their tenants at risk.
Last October, landlord Helen Beckett of Addingham, Ilkley, was fined £1,000 for failing to carry out gas safety checks despite repeated warnings from the Health and Safety Executive.
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