Landlord ordered to pay £15k+ after failing to license 20 flats

A landlord in Salford has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 after failing to license 20 flats.

Jamsheed Kamali, 55 of Wilmslow Road, Mottram St Andrew, pleaded guilty last week at Minshull Street Crown Court to 20 offences of operating flats without a licence.

He was fined £500 for each offence, or £10,000 in total. The court also ordered the defendant to pay £5,000 in legal costs and a victim surcharge of £15.

If Kamali fails to pay the fine, he could face six months in jail.

Salford City Council has operated a landlord licensing scheme in parts of Broughton, where the defendant’s flats were located, since 2009.

The local authority said it had issued repeated warnings to Kamali about his failure to obtain a licence. The defendant applied for licences in April 2012, but this was only after Salford had started court action.

Gena Merrett, the local authority’s assistant mayor for housing and environment, said: "This is an excellent result and should send a warning shot across the bows of any landlord who is considering ignoring their legal responsibilities.”

She added: “Without a licence, we have no way of knowing if the landlord is behaving responsibly or that he or she has satisfactory management arrangements in place and holds the necessary gas and electricity safety certificates to keep tenants safe."

Cllr Merrett claimed that landlord licensing had proved very popular with tenants and other residents because it protected them against anti-social behaviour.

“It also protects landlords because the council can support them in dealing with any difficult tenants,” she said.