Landlord fined after RBC takes him to court over state of rented property

A Redditch landlord has been ordered to pay a fine, costs and victim surcharge totalling £2,485 for failing to comply with an Improvement Notice following a prosecution by the Borough Council.

Daravjit Singh pleaded guilty at Redditch Magistrates Court on 4 March after failing to comply with an Improvement Notice, which included a requirement to provide a working heating system and install fire detection. Singh was fined by magistrates after failing to comply with a notice to remove all dangerous defects found by the Council in a property he owned.

The Council’s Private Sector Housing Officer told the court there had been serious disrepair throughout the Linton Close property in Winyates which Singh owned and rented out. This resulted in an Improvement Notice being served in January 2019 requiring Singh to carry out all remedial works by March 2019.

The court were shown photographs including evidence of an outdated mains fuse board, live exposed wiring and missing light fitments, water saturated and mould covered walls inside the bathroom and hallway, stained and holed hall ceiling, and an unguarded steep winding staircase.

Redditch Borough Council, as a result of non-compliance by Singh to the Improvement Notice, employed an external contractor to carry out all of the required works ensuring the occupying tenant could continue to live in the property safely.

The total cost of the work, £4,860.58, was subsequently recovered from Singh.

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