Man fined £10,000 after Renting out unsafe Southampton Property
At Southampton Magistrates Court on Friday 5 March 2016, Stephen John Roberts pleaded guilty to three charges In relation to 20A Bath Street, a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), of which he is the owner.
He was fined £4000 for failing to licence the property, £2000 for failing to produce a valid electrical safety certificate and £3,300 for failing to maintain the smoke alarms in the premises. In addition, the court awarded £600 costs to the authority and a victim surcharge of £400. The total penalty imposed was £10,300. The Authority offered no evidence on two further charges. Mr Roberts had a previous conviction for failing to licence the property. Cllr Warwick Payne, Cabinet Member for Housing & Sustainability at Southampton City Council, said: “The council will continue to deal robustly with landlords who fail to apply for a licence and those who let unsafe homes. At the same time we want to work with responsible landlords by helping them comply with the rules, as they provide a valuable service for the city.”
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