Newham council in London has won what it calls a landmark case against a convicted rogue landlord.
The court has dismissed the landlord’s appeal against a Banning Order following breaches of the council’s landlord licensing scheme by renting an unlicensed property in Newham. The ban means that he is banned from renting any properties in Newham and the rest of England for three years.
Convicted of seven offences under the Housing Act 2004, private landlord Jahangir Hussain had originally failed to licence his property, which he used as an HMO, back in October 2021. As well as breaching six other HMO management regulations, he received a fine of £10,000 plus the council legal costs.
In February 2023, the council successfully applied for a Banning Order against the landlord. Now, despite an appeal by the landlord, the council has been backed in court and the Banning Order continues, having started on August 16 2023.
A council spokesperson says: “This Banning Order is a first for Newham and a landmark case in our campaign against rogue landlord and to protect the rights of Newham residents living in the private rented sector. We mean what we say, when tackling the scourge of rouge landlords who think they are above the law. They aren’t and we’ll track down any landlord who tries to circumvent the rules that are there to protect our residents and their housing rights.
“We have very clear guidelines, information and support available for private landlords in Newham so that they can operate their businesses while also supporting the welfare of their tenants.
The banning order prevents the landlord from letting housing in England; engaging in English lettings agency work; engaging in English property management work; or doing two or more of those things; or being involved in any way in any corporate body that carries out any of the above activities.
As well as obtaining the Banning Order, Newham Council secured two convictions in the Magistrates Court against Hussain for breaching planning enforcement notices at both his properties within Newham.
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.jpg)
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Has he paid the fine yet?
Of course he hasn't nor will he ever.
They just charge the property. The charge becomes a first charge and gets paid before the mortgage. It's what the council intended all along. Interest every year. They then gain from the investment. This is a money grab
Yes I expect that's what will happen
It’s designed to. Selective Licensing helps them. But It’s the LL own fault for not managing his business and thinking the laws just happen not to apply to him. I personally don’t understand how they think they will get away with it
Good, the likes of Shelter think we are all rogues and don't care, but any reputable business knows potentially killing your customers isn't a good move. So banning repeat offenders through the Courts is something we should all welcome. Will it work? Probably not because what's the betting he simply appoints a family member as Director of his company and carries on getting away with it.
I don't support rouge landlords but I'm curious what happens to the property and tenants after a banning order is issued?
Do all of their tenants suddenly become homeless? Does the landlord have to put them through an agent? or has the power to kick them all out ( I really doubt this) and sell up?
If it's a landlord with, lets say 100 houses, that could be an awful lot of people homeless, and I'm sure that the council will be really proud of what they have achieved.
John Adams, I can see what your saying and that with a Ltd company the director could just pass it along to someone else. So what about someone that has the houses in their own name? what would happen to the tenants in this situation?
I do any repairs asap, so hope to never find myself in this situation. Just curious what happens when someone has a banning order, are tenants now homeless? and does the council that made them homeless have to take care of them?
I wouldn’t be surprised who hasn’t got a License. They have made it almost impossible to achieve.
I have attempted 2 Applications that were licensed 3 times before but stuck on both endless attempts to communicate with Councils in 2 Boroughs. One Borough don’t have a Civic Centre and withdraw the telephone so on-line only but the website blocks you every time.
It about time Metastreet was kicked out with their so called integrated technology, now muscled into every Borough causing mayhem, the Council’s shouldn’t have introduced licensing Schemes that they are not capable of running themselves, Sub-letting it to those useless people making our lives hell.
Michael, I guess ive been lucky up to now and our councils dont currently have a selective licence scheme in the areas where our houses are located.
If they chose to implement it in the area where my houses are, I will just sell them off.
There is next to no capital gains relief so if I sell 1 a year or all of them at once, it makes little difference.
These selective licence schemes only seem to increase rents for tenants or force landlords to sell up, therefore increasing rent more for whoever doesn't sell.
I hate to even think about what is going to happen when Labor get in next year.
I can currently get more money in a bank with a 12 month bond. Which is where the next 2 expected rental houses are now sitting and I don't get any hassle from tenants. Love it :) I currently plan to add 2 more rental house money to my bank account this year.... No idea where tenants are going to live..
What can I say or what do they expect us to do all mine are licensed either Mandatory, Additional or Selective and a number of times, some four. Always had quality affordable before any licensing, Its money for old rope for them. Martin Lewis must be dreaming he said only 4% pay inheritance tax don’t believe that for a second. My personal allowance gone as is my wife’s that’s an extra £25k we are taxed on, so we pay upto 45% but that’s still not enough we have to be targeted with licensing Schemes and other measures as a penalty for providing much needed housing and to drive us out, are those people for real or have they any back bone.
Why not a lifetime ban? Those of us who let property fairly & legally are sick of characters like this giving us all a bad name & adding more grist to the mill of the Marxist pressure groups. He’ll need watching though, there are plenty of smuggled illegals desperate for a bed anywhere & they won’t complain about anything for obvious reasons!
If we ban like this what will happen to the Tennants and lot of people are living small rooms and rents are so high. Council need to make the law little bit soft or build new homes and give home for all and than make strict laws
One way of getting rid of a tenant get a banning order and the tenants will have to go
What can you expect with rules designed to create homelessness. Savage Regulatory requirements, fees, penalties, licensing schemes, re-payment orders, banning orders, confiscation orders, courts & tribunals have the knifes out. Do you not wonder why 34’’000 properties vacant
in London its hardly the owners wish ? so it must be something else do you need 3 guesses.
Now Rishi Sunak is prepared to destroy the young generation with 99% Mortgage’s how can they ever pay those off. Its a deliberate attempt to help the Big Develophers
Yes 99% to help the Big Developers sell their unsuitable Porto cabin system style Flats in the Sky & make big profit for them, it’s not to help first time buyers, pull the other one it’s got bells on.
Which one of the big developers will Sunak end up working for when he is thrown out of his present job ?
So if they hadn’t discriminated against private landlords driving out hundreds of thousands and making many more too scared to let the housing situation wouldn’t be nearly as bad.
In the last 6 years vacant property in London has increased by 73% to 34’000, that’s due to Council’s & Governments attack on LL’s not because the owners want their property vacant, are you mad.
When we see Tenants taking LL’s to Court looking for £300k compensation off LL’s for not having a license for year & actually getting £21’000. When they have not suffered any financial loss it’s time to throw in the towel.
Please login to comment