Landlord fined £16,000 for failing to licence South Shields HMO

The landlord is the first to be served a civil penalty by South Tyneside Council.

He was hit with the fine for not having the required licence for five people to live in his House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in South Shields

Council chiefs said the landlord had been advised he would need an HMO licence if there were more than four tenants living in the property.

The council said the property was also lacking fire safety measures and was subject to an Improvement Notice.

The local authority said the landlord appealed against the penalty to the Residential Property Tribunal, but the appeal was rejected and the decision to uphold the penalty was confirmed by the tribunal on 22 April 2021.

The landlord further appealed this decision, but this was also dismissed.

Stuart Wright, head of environment at South Tyneside Council, said: “This is the first Civil Penalty we have been awarded and it sends a clear message to landlords that they must operate within the law and that their properties must be decent, well-managed and safe.

“This policy has given us another weapon in our armoury to tackle issues in the private rented sector and encourage swift action from landlords to resolve problems.

“This is not a profit-making scheme; fines are channelled back into housing enforcement activity and supports our commitment to driving up standards in the private rented sector.”

The council adopted the Private Sector Civil Penalties Policy in 2019. It allows the council to issue private landlords with fixed penalty notices as an alternative to prosecution for certain offences.

Fines of between £600 and £30,000 can be imposed for offences around licensing, overcrowding and the management of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

The amount fined depends on various factors including the severity of the offence.

The issue of HMOs has become increasingly prevalent in South Tyneside in recent years, with councillors voicing concerns and vowing to tackle problems caused by some which make life a misery for others.

However, some landlords have been angry at schemes they say effectively “penalise” property owners who already abide by the rules.

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