Landlord hit with big fine over danger flats
AROGUE landlord worth more than £10m has been hit with a mammoth fine of over £100,000 for breaking management regulations and putting tenants’s safety at risk.
Beckhall Properties, based in Stockport, has been ordered to pay the hefty bill after flouting safety laws at five Whalley Range flats.
Council inspectors discovered a catalogue of breaches of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation at the Clarendon Road properties.
Dodgy fire alarms and fire doors, unmaintained fire extinguishers, disconnected smoke and heat detectors, a dangerous staircase, damp, leaking ceilings, overgrown land, and carelessly discarded waste were all found.
Beckhall Property bosses also failed to provide necessary gas and electrical certificates.
The firm on Lower Hillagte, which has a net worth of more than £10m and assets of £24m according to Companies House records, was fined a total of £108,000 for 12 separate offences.
Bosses, who pleaded guilty through a solicitor at the hearing and did not attend, were also ordered to pay the council’s costs of £5,692. Earlier this year, Beckhall Properties was ordered to pay £12,400 after being found guilty of breaching a number of management regulations following a council probe.
Stockport council has also fined the company in the past.
Beckhall Properties has a number homes converted into self-contained flats, which must abide by HMO rules. The regulations ensure minimum safety standards are maintained, including fire safety and gas safety, when more than five people live at a property.
Following the first investigation, the council continued to look into Beckhall Properties as part of a crackdown on unscrupulous landlords.
Bosses were twice given the chance to talk with council chiefs, but failed to attend an interview.
Karl Nolan is the only registered director of the firm according to Companies house.
The Express has been unable to contact the firm or Mr Nolan - for comment.
Deputy council leader Bernard Priest said: “Let the size of the fine send a message - in no uncertain terms - that it is simply unacceptable for landlords to fail in their legal obligations.
“Landlords have a duty to ensure their properties are suitably maintained and are not hazardous to their tenant’s safety. This rogue landlord has failed their tenants, at a number of properties, and will now pay a heavy price.”