Sponsored by
Leeds landlord fined £3,000 over licence
A Leeds landlord who was warned of the need to have a licence to rent out a house has been fined £3,000 for ignoring the rule.
He has become the first property owner in Leeds to be prosecuted under new laws designed to combat antisocial tenants.
* Click here to sign up to free news and sport email alerts from your YEP.
At Leeds Magistrates Court Warren Trantor, of Byrdene Ltd, pleaded guilty to failing to apply for a Selective Licence for 8 Cross Green Avenue, Leeds, following a prosecution by Leeds City Council.
* Click here to follow the YEP on Twitter.
The company was fined 3,000 and the council was awarded 989 in costs, along with a victim's surcharge of 15.
* Click here to Like Us on Facebook.
In a bid to crack down on anti-social tenants and poor housing, part of
Cross Green and East End Park in Leeds was designated as an area of selective licensing last October. It means all owners of privately rented properties in the area need a licence to operate.
Mr Trantor ignored several letters asking him to contact the council's selective licensing team to apply for his properties to be licensed, which meant that by renting them out he was breaking the law.
He is the first landlord in Leeds to be prosecuted under this law.
Coun Peter Gruen, Leeds City Council's executive board member for housing, said: "The majority of landlords in Leeds take their responsibilities seriously, but there are a few who show little or no interest in managing their properties responsibly.
"A small minority of landlords let their properties without really checking up on their new tenants.
"Designating an area as a selective licensing area helps the council to deal with bad landlords and should prevent those sort of problems happening in that area," he said.
In a selective licensing area the landlord must also meet a 'fit and proper person' test to obtain a licence.
Their rented properties must meet the licence conditions, ensuring they are safe and that the landlord can, and will, deal with anti-social tenants.
Failure to have applied for or obtained a licence could mean a fine, on conviction, of up to 20,000.
The aim is to help to address issues of low demand affecting the area and reduce the antisocial behaviour of tenants in privately rented properties.
Landlords will not be made responsible for the actions of their tenants, but they will be expected to take action if they know that their tenants are causing a problem.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
