Landlord hit with almost £50,000 legal bill by Peterlee magistrates over unlicensed Blackhall properties

Kamran Adil, 52, did not have licences for any of the eight properties he owns in Blackhall as required under a Selective Licensing scheme.

Since April 2022, the Selective Licensing scheme requires all private landlords to obtain a licence to legally rent properties in designated areas of the county, which are subject to inspections to ensure compliance with licensing conditions.

Peterlee Magistrates Court heard Adil did not have licences in place for any of the eight properties.

It was despite being given several written and verbal warnings from Durham County Council reminding him of the legal requirement.

The court also heard that following an inspection of one of the properties, a housing officer found that the Electrical Condition Report for the address had been undertaken by an engineer who was not believed to be competent.

A Housing Act Notice was served on Adil giving him 14 days to provide a copy of a valid electrical report, but no response was received.

He was found guilty in his absence of eight counts of failing to licence a property and one count of failing to provide a copy of a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report.

Adil, of Halterburn Close, Gosforth, was fined £45,000, ordered to pay £330 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

Lynn Hall, the council’s strategic housing manager, said: “This case should serve as a stark warning to other landlords and letting agents of the high financial penalty that can be imposed when they ignore the responsibilities of their role.”