Landlord fined for breaching safety standards

A private landlord has been ordered by a court to pay more than £6,000 after they admitted breaching housing management regulations.

Mrs Juliet Petrovic, of Hampton View, Mansfield, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on 31 August 2021 where she admitted three charges of failing to provide gas safety certificates and electrical safety certificates when requested as well as renting out a property which lacked essential fire safety measures in relation to a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) at Nottingham Road, Mansfield.

She was fined £3,500 with costs of £2,500 and a victim surcharge of £181 giving a total of £6,181 to pay.

Mansfield District Council first became aware of the HMO in October 2019 after council officers identified four residents who formed more than two households living in the three-storey property. The property breached the safety standards required of a home in multiple occupation with a lack of interlinked smoke alarms and fire doors throughout the property.

The district council took legal action after attempts to engage with the landlord to make the necessary improvements failed. The case was severely delayed in being heard at court due to the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system.

Cllr Marion Bradshaw, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing, said: “This is a fantastic result and shows we will always seek to take legal action against any landlords who put their tenants’ health and safety at risk.

“Although HMOs provide a valuable source of affordable housing, they can also potentially pose significant risks to occupants.

“The council will always seek to work closely with private landlords in the first instance to ensure their properties are of the highest standard and ensure that tenants do not live in poor conditions. However we will also take the appropriate action where landlords refuse to co-operate with our investigations.”

If you are a private tenant or private landlord and need housing advice, please visit our Private Sector Housing webpage.

Published: September 3rd 2021