Crawley Borough Council Upholds Financial Penalties Against Landlords for Housing Violations
Crawley Borough Council has kept fines for two private landlords who broke the Housing Act 2004. The Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal made the decisions. The council works hard to keep standards alive in the private rental sector, especially with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
Details of the Offences and Penalties
Mr. Nasser Butt holds licenses for two HMO properties at Cross Path in Northgate and Priors Walk in Three Bridges. He has lost a total of £2,750. He did not follow the rules on the number of allowed people. Mr. Butt rented to more people than his license allowed in each property.
The fine for the property on Cross Path is £1,750 and the fine for the property on Priors Walk is £1,000. The fines stayed the same after an appeal. The Private Sector Housing Team noted that the breaches were serious.
In a separate case, Mr. Martin New, owner of a property at Lincoln Close in Tilgate, lost £3,000 after he did not fix problems pointed out in an Improvement Notice. The Notice came after the property showed low living standards that risked the health of tenants. A broken gas boiler, mould on surfaces that need painting, a missing fence panel, and a failing shed in the back garden all needed work.
Crawley Borough Council first wanted £5,100 from Mr. New, but the Property Chamber cut it down to £3,000 during the appeal.
Council’s Commitment to Housing Standards
Councillor Yasmin Khan, Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said, “The council expects landlords to follow housing rules for private rented homes. We take issues like these very seriously. We hope outcomes like these stop bad practices by some private landlords and show good landlords that we work to improve the sector in Crawley.”
The council’s Private Sector Housing Team keeps track of health and safety in private rented homes in Crawley. The team works on problems of too many tenants and low living conditions that hurt tenant well-being.
Reporting Violations
Landlords and tenants must work as a team to keep rental homes safe and sound. If you know of any privately rented home that is too full or is in poor repair, please report it. The Private Sector Housing Team can be reached through their website at Crawley Borough Council Private Housing or by email at [email protected]
Conclusion
The fines for Mr. Butt and Mr. New show the need to follow the rules of the Housing Act. With closer checks on living conditions, these decisions remind all property owners and investors—especially those managing HMOs—to follow their legal duties. As the council works to improve housing in the private rental area, landlords must follow the rules to avoid fines and keep tenants safe.
For more news and updates on housing rules, visit well-known sites such as GOV.UK on Housing.
