Two landlords have been left with court bills totalling more than £5,000 after allowing houses in West Bromwich and Tividale to fall into serious disrepair.
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Parmjit Singh Gill failed to attend Sandwell Magistrates Court on November 19, and was found guilty in his absence, after failing to comply with an improvement notice served by Sandwell Council on a house Gladstone Street, West Bromwich.
The council brought the case after complaints about serious disrepair at the house.
An officer from the council’s housing quality team found penetrating dampness, broken paving, dilapidated kitchen base units, and an insecure front entrance door.
Gill had not responded to attempts by the council to resolve issues by negotiation, which led to an improvement notice being served ordering him to remedy the disrepair.
He was fined £1,600 and the council were awarded costs totalling £896.37, and a victim surcharge of £15.
In a separate case, Satnam Singh also failed to attend court and was found guilty in his absence, after failing to comply with an improvement notice served by Sandwell Council on a house in Hilton Road, Tividale.
Sandwell Magistrates heard an officer from the council’s housing quality team found dampness, water saturated kitchen base units and worktops, loose gas pipe work, insecure windows and entrance door.
Singh was fined £1,600 and the council was awarded costs totalling £894, and a victim surcharge of £15.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for housing Councillor Simon Hackett said: “These are good examples of landlords failing in their duties to tenants.
“While I am keen that the council continues to work with the good landlords to provide decent homes for Sandwell residents I will not tolerate bad landlords who put the health and safety of their tenants at risk.”
Councillor Hackett said if anyone felt they were living in shoddy accommodation they should contact the council.
“I want them to be aware that help is on hand,” he added.The housing quality team currently deals with over 600 requests for assistance each year, but is still concerned that many private tenants do not realise that support is available.
