Unlicensed Darwen landlords pay penalty for breaching law

Stephen Doughty and Christopher Gac have to pay £6,324.65 following a hearing at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court last week after being found guilty in their absence of breaching the Housing Act 2004.

Under the law, landlords must apply for a licence for the letting of a property within a selective licensing area.

The court heard that the defendants had failed to apply for such a licence for their property in Sarah Street.

The offence, which dates from June last year to February, saw both Mr Gac and Mr Doughty fined. Mr Doughty was ordered to pay fines of £2,000, costs of £694 and a victim surcharge of £120, while Mr Gac was fined £2,000 with costs of £990.65, a victim surcharge of £120 and a contribution towards the licence fee of £400.

Selective licensing laws were introduced in a bid to thwart rogue landlords renting out overcrowded and potentially dangerous homes.

In practice, it means landlords must adhere to strict rules and their homes are inspected.

This was the sixth successful prosecution of unlicensed landlords by Black- burn with Darwen Council, with nine individuals having faced financial penalties.

Coun Arshid Mahmood, lead member for neighbourhoods, housing and customer services, welcomed the prosecution.

He said: “As a council, we work very closely with both tenants and landlords to ensure they both live and operate within the framework of law.

“However, we take a tough stance towards landlords who fail to operate legally or fail to obtain a licence within a licensing area.

“I therefore welcome the magistrates’ decision to fine the owners who wilfully held property without the correct licence.”

Sudell councillor Eileen Entwistle, who has campaigned against unlicensed landlords in the area, said: “This prosecution is a warning to all unlicensed landlords that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

“These unscrupulous individuals are a magnet for anti-social behaviour and other problems in Darwen.”