Private landlord convicted of eight housing offences

Caroline Humphrey, of Leverington, was convicted this week (Wednesday, April 6) of failing to comply with two improvement notices and six other offences concerning the management of the property in Sefton Avenue.

She had failed to make the necessary improvements to ensure that there was proper heating in the house and to deal with hazards such as damp and mould caused by leaks from the bathroom, and the risk of falls on the stairs because there was no handrail.

As the manager of the property, a house in multiple occupation (HMO), she was also found guilty of six offences concerning its upkeep.

All were offences under the Housing Act 2004.

Faults in common parts of the house included defective plasterboard walling, crumbling plaster, an unsanitary toilet bowl and the absence of floor covering to the timber floorboards in the bathroom. The light in the hallway was also inoperative and the bathroom window could not be closed.

King’s Lynn magistrates fined her £500 for each offence and ordered her to pay £2,750.55 in costs and a £50 victim surcharge.

The case was brought by Fenland District Council.

Councillor Will Sutton, the council’s cabinet member responsible for housing, said: “We’re pleased to have secured this conviction. It demonstrates our determination to do all we can to ensure that proper standards are maintained in the private rented sector and to take action against landlords who fail to comply with the legal requirements. Court action is only considered when all other avenues have been exhausted.”