Managing Agents in Hatfield Fined £42,000
Two managing agents have been fined over £42,000 after Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council took them both to court in its first multiple prosecution.
Director of Odus Ltd on Bishops Square, Hatfield, Shaji Odushoti, pleaded guilty to breaking fire regulations among other failures at St Albans Magistrates’ Court.
The second company director, Shain Hutchings, of XS Property Management Maintenance Ltd of Hatfield Road, St Albans, admitted to another five offences regarding one property.
Managing Agents in Hatfield Fined £42,000
Odus Ltd was fined £17,600 and ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £17,424, relating Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Richards Street, The Runway, Harpsfield Broadway and Fillingham Way.
XS Property Management was prosecuted over another home in The Runway, and was fined £4,300 and ordered to pay costs of £3,210 for issues such as a faulty fire door and missing smoke seal.
Odushoti claims that the Council had inspected the properties just two weeks after they took them over, issuing a summons while the firm was awaiting landlords’ approval for the necessary work.
Hutchings also says: “I feel aggrieved at the fine. These were very minor faults and we were not given time to correct them. If I could have afforded to, I would have fought it.”1
The two managing agents own and manage properties in Hatfield and were charged a total of £42,534 after pleading guilty to a total of 46 offences on Wednesday 17th June.
Odushoti admitted to 41 offences on four properties managed for private landlords and Hutchings pleaded guilty to five offences on one property.
Odus Ltd’s failures include: locked and faulty doors, missing smoke seals, an empty fire extinguisher, a missing fire blanket, and a broken alarm.
This is the first time Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has prosecuted multiple managing agents, in a bid to crack down on poor management practise.
Councillor Mandy Perkins, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Community, says: “We are very pleased with this outcome. It is proof that we will not tolerate managing agents in our borough who compromise the safety of their tenants, particularly relating to fire safety issues.
“We hugely value the contribution that good quality rented accommodation makes to the local housing market, but we hope this sends a clear signal to managing agents that they must comply with the law.”
She continues: “I would urge residents to protect themselves by checking their managing agent or landlord is Partnership Accreditation for Landlords-accredited (PAL).
“This is a council-run scheme, which strives to ensure that accredited managing agents meet their legal obligations.”1
1 http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/hatfield-managing-agents-fined-42000