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Landlord fined after letting out flat with no heating

A landlord from Greater Manchester has been fined for letting out a flat which had no heating during winter.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that landlord Massud Yaqub had a property on Bridge Street in Brindley Ford, on the north border of Staffordshire, which was let out with no heating in the middle of winter.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council issued a notice to try to improve the living conditions at the property after a complaint was initially made in January last year. However, the case ended up in court after the improvements were not carried out.

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The property in Brindley Ford was in a state of disrepair and an improvement notice was served in May 2017 following an inspection, according to prosecutor Kirsty Messenger.

Messenger said: “The lack of effective heating and a faulty hot water cylinder was a category one hazard. Damp and mould was seen around the leaking hot water cylinder.

“Despite the improvement notice the heating cylinder has not been repaired and the heating has not been reinstated.”

Magistrates fined the defendant £1,320 for the offence.

He was also ordered to pay £793.73 costs and a £66 surcharge.

Speaking after the prosecution, cllr Randy Conteh, cabinet member for housing, commented: “We take a proactive approach towards tackling irresponsible landlords and improving private rented sector conditions for our residents.

“In this case, the property has been left with no heating and a faulty hot water cylinder since January 2017.

“An improvement notice was served on Mr Yaqub by the private-sector housing enforcement team in May 2017 after several informal attempts to work with him to improve the conditions at this property failed.

“We aim to work with private landlords to resolve any issues in the first instance. But on this occasion we were left with no option but to prosecute Mr Yaqub. This successful prosecution shows the zero-tolerance approach the council takes in tackling rogue landlords and improving the private rented sector for residents.”

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