Court hands out fine for cold and damp rental property

A company was ordered to pay over £4,000 for failure to tackle dampness and disrepair at a Rossendale property.

Blackburn Magistrates Court handed down a £3,600 fine, £718 costs and a £170 victim surcharge to the letting agents, Warburton, Dickinson and Pollard Partnership Limited, for not complying with improvement notices served under the Housing Act 2004.

Director of the company, Nicholas (Nick) Turner, 47, of Leyland Road, Burnley, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company.

The case was brought after Rossendale Borough Council received continued complaints from tenants at the property on Springfield Avenue, Bacup about dampness, excess cold and various matters of disrepair.

Council officers visited in January after which they served Improvement Notices under section 11 and section 12 of the Housing Act 2004. The notices required the letting agents to tackle a list of issues including damp and mould growth and electrical hazards.

A follow up inspection in March saw that the notices had not been acted upon and as a result the decision was taken to prosecute.

Councillor Barbara Ashworth, Portfolio holder for Health and Housing , said:

No one in this day and age should have to live in a damp and cold property. It is just not acceptable.

So I am pleased that this case is yet another example of the Council taking owners and those responsible to court and forcing them to recognise the duty they have to their tenants.

I hope this judgement will serve as a warning to others who don’t honour the obligation that they have to provide decent and safe housing for their tenants.