Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘Abandoned’ house fine for landlord
A landlord has been fined £5,000 for renting out an “abandoned house” and failing to notify the council.
Ashford Borough Council brought the case against Josh Ahmad after finding a supposedly empty house filled with tenants.
The property, 6 Canterbury Road, Ashford, first came to the authority’s attention as an empty building before it changed hands twice between 2016 and 2018.
Canterbury Magistrates Court heard how the council later discovered it had been refurbished and that it was assumed the house was being used by a large number of people.
In order to regulate the quality of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), a licence must be sought for premises with five or more residents.
In April, the council wrote to Mr Ahmad and delivered a legal notice requiring him to provide information about the property.
The magistrates were told council officers suspected five or more people lived at the Canterbury Road house but that a licence couldn’t be given and enforcement action couldn’t be taken without landlord confirmation.
After he failed to respond to the notification, Ashford Borough Council prosecuted him with the charge of failing to comply with a requirement of a notice served on him on April 11.
Despite not appearing in court last Tuesday, Mr Ahmad was found guilty by the bench.
They imposed a fine of £5,000 and ordered him to pay £650 towards the council’s legal costs. A victim surcharge of £170 was also levied and he was ordered to pay in full within 28 days.
Mr Ahmad’s Canterbury Road property is now the subject of a further legal notice asking for co-operation from the landlord.