Rogue landlord hit with huge fine for ignoring Brents selective licensing laws

Rogue landlord hit with huge fine for ignoring Brents selective licensing laws

3 February 2020

A rogue landlord has been handed £90,000 worth of fines and court costs after repeatedly ignoring Brent’s selective licensing laws, which protect the safety and wellbeing of private tenants.

Stephen Ige pleaded guilty in Willesden Magistrate Court to knowingly renting out three properties, a ground floor flat in Chaplin Road, Willesden Green, and ground and first floor flats in Douglas Road, Kilburn, to tenants without a licence.

On Tuesday 28 January 2020, he was ordered to pay a £25,000 fine for each of the unlicensed properties, £5,000 for failing to supply documents to the council when requested, and £10,763 in court costs to the council, totalling £90,863 including a victim surcharge.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, said:

“Renting out a property is a serious business and in Brent we have introduced selective licensing to ensure that tenants are living in safe, well managed homes. Licensing does this by making sure properties are properly managed by a landlord or agent, setting standards that the landlord must meet for the benefit of the occupiers and the community in general.

“If you are a landlord in a selective licensing area, failing to licence your property puts you at risk of being prosecuted and fined. While the council did not identify any serious concerns with the current state of Mr Ige’s properties, our licensing scheme is designed to give tenants confidence that they are living in homes that are safe. Challenging landlords who don’t comply is a priority.”

In areas where selective licensing applies – currently the Dudden Hill, Kensal Green, Kilburn, Mapesbury and Queen’s Park wards - landlords must apply for a licence if they want to rent out their property. Following the success of the scheme in improving standards for private renters, Brent has applied to the government to extend the scheme to 13 other wards in the borough.

Mr Ige, who owns a number of properties in Brent, had previously been found to have illegally let out two other properties requiring licences. He was fined £5,000 and warned to make sure he applied for property licences where required, but continued to ignore the law and his responsibilities towards the safety of his tenants. 

If you are a Brent landlord who lets out a property to private tenants in an area where selective licensing is in operation, you can apply for a licence online

If you suspect that someone is renting out an unlicensed property in Brent, please report them anonymously