East Sheen Estates Limited has been fined more than £15,000 after Richmond Council found multiple failings across several properties manged by the firm that they said had been repeatedly ignored.
The company was taken to court by the local authority after the borough’s private sector housing team exposed a number of serious failings at several properties they own in East Sheen.
Among the “serious” issues uncovered by the task force were lack of a working fire alarm system, water damage and a leaking roof.
When authorities contacted East Sheen Estates Limited about these issues, which amounted to breaches of the Housing Act 2004, the company reportedly failed to carry out the necessary repairs.
In response, Richmond Council issued two Financial Penalty Notices resulting in a £10,000 fine.
But that was not the end of the matter.
A council spokesperson explained: “A further inspection of one of the flats showed that the condition of the property had significantly worsened, and a Prohibition Order was issued to prevent the flat from being occupied.
“Upon reinspecting the flat in February 2020, it was revealed that it was still occupied, despite the Prohibition Order.
“As a result, the Council took the company to court last month under section 32 of the Housing Act. During the hearing, the letting agent was fined over £15,000.”
Authorities have also sought a Rent Repayment Order on one of the flats, to the tune of £6,857.18.
East Sheen Estates Limited will reportedly be required to pay up within 28 days.
Nick Stevens, the head of regulatory services at Richmond Council, commented: “Renters in Richmond upon Thames should not be subject to rogue landlords who leave their properties in dismal conditions and who fail to act when issued with Improvement Notices.
“The Council’s Private Sector Housing Team works hard to investigate complaints and improve the borough’s housing standards.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this investigation and encourage residents who might be experiencing issues to contact us.”
When will local authorities be fined and key personnel named and shamed for their substandard council housing and constant breaches of housing law?
Croydon was the most recent and its council housing was “appalling” with people living in “squalor” according to TV coverage. It’s okay for local authorities to break all the rules with no recourse or fines, yet their mission against agents continues.
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East Sheen Estates is the Landlord, not a letting agent
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Heavy fines are being dished out to both agents and landlords Nick. It’s become disproportionate.
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completely agree – just pointing out the headline was incorrect. Agree with your point about LA’s and different standards
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