A landlord in north London has been issued with one of the largest rent repayment orders so far this year after failing to licence their HMO property in Tottenham.
The unnamed landlord, based in Tottenham, must refund their tenants 12 months’ rent totalling £20,000 and pay a fine of £2,500. They have also been ordered to licence the property and pay the application fee of £1,210.
The council has been operating a borough-wide HMO licencing scheme since 2019 and is currently in the process of trying to renew the scheme next year with a higher fee of £1,310.
Haringey has so far issued a total of 46 fines amounting to over £250,000 for non-compliance, with £46,500 of that being issued over the past two months alone.
Cllr Sarah Williams, cabinet member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning, said: “Thanks to the hard work of council officers, legal action has been taken against landlords that have failed to license their properties.
“Haringey Council has a zero-tolerance policy to rogue landlords; in one case the landlord has been made to repay £20,000 in rent to their tenants. Our licencing scheme is in place for a reason: to protect Haringey’s private renters by ensuring their homes are safe and well maintained.
“A tightly regulated and professionalised landlord industry helps protect and promote our good landlords, and creates a safer, healthier and more accountable rented sector for tenants. Our existing HMO licensing scheme needs to be renewed next year so I’d encourage all residents, particularly those living in the private rented sector, to take part in the consultation that will help shape our new scheme.”
