A landlord who failed to meet licensing and safety regulations for his HMO in Basingstoke has been ordered to pay £2,710 after being found guilty for the second time.
Mark Gibson, who was the manager and person in control of the property in Rooksdown, was prosecuted by Basingstoke and Deane council for four offences committed in November last year.
He had previously been found guilty of similar offences in September last year.
During a hearing at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, Gibson was found guilty of failing to hold a licence for a licensable house in multiple occupation.
He was also convicted of three further charges under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.
The first of these related to inadequate fire safety as the escape routes were obstructed, with insufficient smoke detectors and no self-closing fire doors in place.
The second charge related to him failing to supply and maintain gas and electricity as tenants were unable to control their gas central heating.
The third related to him failing to ensure that the communal areas of the property were maintained in good and clean decorative repair and that electrical appliances were metered and not able to be operated by occupiers.
Gibson was fined £1,320, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £528 and prosecution costs of £862.38. The owner of the property has now taken back control of the building and it is no longer an HMO.
A council spokesperson says: “Ensuring our residents live in safe, well-maintained homes continues to be a priority for us. A house of multiple occupancy must be licensed if it’s occupied by five or more people forming two or more separate households and sharing facilities.
“This case – which is the second time we have taken prosecution action against this landlord in the past year -demonstrates that we will continue to act in the best interests of the residents who are subjected to these poor housing conditions and will take action against those responsible.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today