A letting agency in Derby has been fined £14,000 for renting out flat ‘with serious safety hazards’.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how an inspection at an Osmaston Road flat “uncovered significant safety hazards, including a compromised flat roof, and risks of structural collapse”, the city council has said.
Steadwall Properties Limited, based on Normanton Road, let out a property on Normanton Road despite a Prohibition Order issued in August 2023 under the Housing Act 2004, which barred its occupation due to safety concerns. The flats, located above a pharmacy, had been converted without certified building work. Tenants living there at the time were rehoused by Derby Homes.
The order prohibited anyone from living at the address until necessary work was completed to make the property safe.
However, a routine inspection in August 2024 led to a criminal investigation, which revealed that the flats had been re-let to new tenants while serious hazards remained. Rent had continued to be collected for eight months in direct contravention of the Prohibition Order.
At Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, Steadwall Properties admitted to knowingly permitting occupation of a prohibited property, an offence under section 32 of the Housing Act 2004.
The company was fined £21,000, reduced to £14,000 for an early guilty plea, and ordered to pay £1,750 in costs.
Magistrates said the firm had “recklessly permitted occupation and placed vulnerable tenants at risk of considerable harm.”
Cllr Shiraz Khan, cabinet member for housing, strategic planning and regulatory services, said: “We’re committed to ensuring everyone in Derby has a safe place to call home. While most private landlords are responsible and provide good quality housing, our dedicated team works tirelessly to identify and pursue those, whether they are landlords or letting agents, who disregard the health and safety of their tenants.
“We simply won’t tolerate substandard accommodation and will continue to use every tool at our disposal – from prosecution to civil penalty notices and rent repayment orders – to hold them accountable.
“I would encourage anyone with concerns about their rented property or their landlord to report this to our team.”
