Council secures six-figure fine for landlords who failed to comply with improvement notices

Following complaints in 2023, environmental health officers inspected two rented properties in Worksop and identified 14 hazards, including fire, electrical and structural risks, as well as accumulations of waste.

Despite the service of improvement notices under the Housing Act 2004 requiring compliance by March 2024, further inspections found that the landlords had not taken the necessary steps to remedy the hazards.

At Mansfield Magistrates’ Court in January this year, Baminy Suresh, 40, and Suresh Thanabalsingham, 46, both of Cheapside, Worksop, were found guilty of failing to comply with the notices. Thanabalsingham was also found guilty of failing to remove waste that posed a vermin risk.

The pair were sentenced in July. Thanabalsingham was ordered to pay a £70,000 fine, a £28,000 victim surcharge and £1,982 in court costs, while Suresh was fined £50,000, ordered to pay a £20,000 victim surcharge and £1,982 in costs. The total penalty came to £171,964.

Cllr Lynne Schuller, Cabinet Member for Housing and Estates at Bassetlaw, said the prosecution sent “a clear message to landlords to keep their properties at the required standards or action can be and will be taken against them to safeguard people”.

She added: “The effects of living in poor housing conditions can significantly impact tenants’ mental and physical health as well as their overall quality of life and life chances. Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants to provide homes that are safe and warm to live in, a basic right.”

The council said further inspections would be carried out to ensure the works are completed and warned that additional enforcement action may follow if the landlords fail to comply.

Adam Carey