Landlords have a lot of responsibilities. If they don’t meet them, local councils can penalise them in several different ways. This is especially likely if they fail to get planning permission for changes to properties, don’t get licenses, or put tenants at risk. Finefair can help landlords though. We have a range of reliable services, including the top block management Barking and Dagenham can offer.

A recent case in Ilford shows how far some landlords will go to avoid punishment. The local council brought charges against a rogue landlord who had illegally converted a three bedroom home into a HMO.

Forgery

This case is very interesting because the landlord in question went to extreme lengths to avoid punishment. He even chose to forge documents in a bid to claim that the property had been a HMO for ten years and was therefore exempt from enforcement. The forgeries included tenancy agreements, a sworn affidavit and estate agent letters.

The council had been suspicious of the property in Ilford because building work had been done without permission. Further investigation found that the home was a HMO.

Additional properties

The situation got worse for the rogue landlord when the council investigated his additional properties. They found he had two more homes in Barking that were also illegal HMOs. Again he tried to forge documents to claim these homes had been HMOs for over ten years.

Sentence

The rogue landlord was ultimately sentenced to 16 months in prison. The judge said his motivation had solely been greed. In addition a caretaker for one of the properties who signed the affidavit was guilty of giving a false statement under oath. His sentence was 12 weeks in prison but with a 12 month suspension. On top of this he had to pay £300 costs, a victim surcharge of £140 and do 140 hours of unpaid work.

Finefair understands how tough councils are on landlords. Their aim is to improve standards and protect tenants. We work with our clients to ensure they meet their obligations. As a result they don’t run the risk of penalties.

If you want to work with the best name for block management Barking and Dagenham has, contact us. We arrange bespoke services and look after all kinds of portfolios.