Council bags £85,000 through licensing fines...

A private landlord has been fined £1,760 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after failing to properly licence four properties in Burnley.

Michael James Perring of Alton in Hampshire was taken to court by Burnley council and pleaded guilty by letter to four counts of being a person managing a house, which was required to be licensed under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, but which was not so licensed.

He was fined £440 on each count at Burnley Magistrates’ Court, and a total of £1,000 costs.

All four properties are in neighbourhoods designated or previously designated as selective licensing areas by the council.

Councillor John Harbour, the authority’s executive member for housing, says: “We’re always willing to work with landlords to help provide high quality homes for our residents but we’re also prepared to take strong action against those that don’t follow the rules.”

Selective licensing has been introduced in areas across the town in order to - in the council's words - help raise demand for housing and improve management standards.

Over the past two years the council has carried out successful enforcement action against a dozen landlords for failing to apply for a licence, resulting in fines and costs totaling more than £70,000, and four civil penalties for breaking licence conditions resulting in fines and costs totalling £15,000.

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