A Scottish landlord has the dubious honour of being the first landlord to be disqualified from acting as a landlord for breaching the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.
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Banned Landlord Refused Landlord Licence
The landlord convicted had appeared before Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on a previous occasion, when he breached Gas Safety regulations and the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004. He was convicted of six separate offences and fined £540. This was back in 2014, but in 2015, he applied for a landlord licence.
Unfortunately, because of his previous criminal convictions, Fife Council decided he was not a fit or responsible person to operate as a landlord and they refused him a landlord licence. Because his application was refused, it was illegal for him to rent out residential properties in Fife. But, the landlord took no notice and continued to let properties anyway.
Breach of Legislation
When officials from Fife housing department discovered the landlord was still operating, they prosecuted him. The Sheriff fined him £500 and banned him from acting as a private landlord for another 12 months, describing the act as “a flagrant breach of legislation”.
“A significant proportion of private landlords are of good character and comply with the law, however, there are some who act unlawfully,” said the Head of Housing at Fife Council.
“The outcome of this particular case sends a clear message to private landlords in Fife that the council will continue to take all appropriate action to protect tenants and improve property standards in the private sector.”
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