Four interrelated companies have been fined a total of £259,696.17 for illegally letting out properties without a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) licenses in the UK city Liverpool. The prosecutions followed an investigation which discovered that the properties were being let out without proper authorization. The fines were issued at Liverpool Magistrates Court and are related to the properties across the Everton West, Toxteth, and Canning Wards of the city. All companies charged were registered at the same address, with Sean Broadhurst, Robert Broadhurst or Maria Helena Broadhurst listed as the company officers.
Trophy Homes Limited, which was managing the properties, was charged for the third time for failing to license their properties. The other companies and their directors received the following fines:
Trophy Homes Limited – £82.5k plus costs of £1,176 and a £2k victim surcharge
231 Victoria Limited – £10k plus costs of £354 and a £2k victim surcharge
Citipoint Limited – £30k plus costs of £366 and a £2k victim surcharge
West Village Liverpool Limited – £20k, plus costs of £274 and a £2k victim surcharge
Sean Broadhurst – £33k, plus costs of £1,060 and a £2k victim surcharge
Robert Broadhurst – £33k, plus costs of £527 and a £2k victim surcharge
Maria Helena Broadhurst – £33k, plus costs of £436 and a £2k victim surcharge
The companies and the directors were prosecuted under s251 of the Housing Act 2004, and their offences included a failure to have an HMO licence and to comply with the notices requested by the council under the Housing Act 2004 and the Local Government (miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. All of the directors were reportedly aware of the requirement to have a license, and therefore they are held individually culpable. In response to the case, Louise Harford, Interim Director of Housing, said that the owners of such properties had “blatantly ignored their legal obligations,” emphasizing that the council will always take action where there is evidence that landlords are putting their tenants at risk.
Liverpool City Council requires all HMO properties with five or more people to be licensed. HMO licensing is vital to ensure that license holders keep their properties to a decent standard. The council’s Enforcement Officers carry out regular programmed and reactive compliance inspections, investigating and taking appropriate actions against license holders who fail to comply with their duties or manage the property and tenants in line with the license conditions. According to Liverpool Echo reports, people living in an HMO are six times more likely to die in a fire compared to a single occupancy property. There is an increased chance of rapid wear to vital safety features like fire doors and smoke alarms due to the greater number of persons in the property. In HMO bedsits, there will be multiple sets of cooking facilities in all bedrooms, which also increases the likelihood of a fire occurring. Students living in HMOs can be vulnerable residents who may be living independently for the first time, perhaps in a different city or country, and are unaware or worried about complaining to their landlord or the Council
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