A landlord has been banned from operating as a landlord or managing agent at a lettings agency for two years following a ruling by the First Tier Property Tribunal.
Durham county council applied for the banning order after Kamran Adil of Gosforth repeatedly put vulnerable tenants at risk by failing to ensure minimum housing safety standards.
He also failed to licence eight rental properties located within selective licensing areas, and is accused of failing to engage with the council and act on improvement notices served.
All this resulted in the local authority taking him to court twice, in 2023 and 2024 respectively. As a result of these prosecutions, Adil was found guilty of a total of 14 offences under the Housing Act 2004 and fined £63,000, plus costs and charges.
Following the most recent conviction in December 2024, the council served a Notice of Intent to seek the banning order. No representations were received from Adil, and he did not engage with the tribunal process.
In a decision notice approving the application for the order, Tribunal Judge Brown concluded that Adil had “persistently failed” to comply with statutory requirements for housing management. He added: “We found that the serious sanction of a banning order is required to deter reoffending and ensure statutory and regulatory compliance and that it is a just and proportionate punishment, taking into account the need also to deter others from similar behaviour.”
A spokesperson for the council says: “Our Selective Licensing scheme exists to ensure accommodation in County Durham is safe and well-managed, and to protect private sector tenants from landlords who ignore their duties.
“It’s about holding criminal landlords to account, while also creating a fairer industry for landlords who care about their tenants and their responsibilities.
“Applying for a banning order was not a decision we took lightly but it reflects just how serious Kamran Adil’s offences are. We hope this serves as a stark warning to other landlords and letting agents of what can happen if they fail to manage their properties to the standards required. And while this is a last resort, we won’t hesitate to take such action again if needed.”
The council says that ahead of the tribunal, Adil had sold 11 of his rental properties, he had retained 15, including two that are occupied. “We will manage the occupied properties for the duration of the ban” says the authority.
This article is taken from Landlord Today