Landlord must repay thousands as council says “We’ll come and find you"

A landlord who failed to licence his property has been ordered to pay back over £5,000 in rent.

Michael Convery from Belfast has been told he has to repay Nottingham council £5,644.98 for Housing Benefits he was paid in rent for a property that was operating without a Selective Licence.

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) ordered Convery to repay the sum by way of a Rent Repayment Order - a process which requires a landlord to refund a specified amount to either a tenant or local housing authority. 

The Housing Act 2004 introduced RRO’s to cover situations where the landlord of a property had failed to obtain a license for a property that was required to be licenced, and RRO’s were extended through the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to cover a much wider range of offences.

Councillor Linda Woodings says: “It is a legal requirement for a property to be licensed if it’s in an area covered by Selective Licensing. We will try to work with landlords to make sure they are licensed, but sometimes landlords don’t engage and we have to take the appropriate action.

“Mr Convery took Housing Benefit money, which is benefit money we give to tenants to pay their rent. He was not entitled to this as his property was not licenced. I would encourage all landlords and agents to make sure their properties are licensed. It is better to work with us, than for us to have to come and find you.”

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