A letting agent has had a fined issued against him upheld by a judge after he failed to register with a redress scheme.

In October 2021, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council  issued a fine of £5,000 to Farrukh Faheem for failing to register as a member of a government administered redress scheme under The Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (England) Order 2014.

Faheem appealed the fine with the General Regulatory Chamber, and offered in mitigation that he was a guarantor of a rental property, not an agent. However, this was found not to be the case, and his appeal was unsuccessful.

In handing down the judgement, Upper Tribunal Judge Rintoul said: “The duty to enforce consumer protection laws will not be served by imposing derisory penalties. In all the circumstances, I am satisfied that that appropriate penalty is £5,000.”