A private landlord with a history of licensing breaches must pay £21,680 after admitting 10 further offences.

Muhammed Ali, 56, of Oxford Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching the Housing Act 2004 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 5 November.

The offences involved properties in Minster Drive, Langley Road, Deakins Road and Aspen Grove. Some had undergone conversion into self-contained flats.

All four locations fall within Birmingham City Council’s selective licensing areas. Consequently, landlords must obtain the necessary licences before letting properties covered by the scheme.

Landlord’s previous licensing breaches

Prosecutor Simon Mortimer told magistrates that Ali had repeatedly failed to comply with licensing requirements.

The court heard that previous offences dated back to June 2010. Since then, Ali had received fines totalling tens of thousands of pounds.

Mortimer said: “It simply appears that he won’t get licences. He knows he needs them. The properties are within Birmingham City Council’s selective licensing area.”

However, defence solicitor Sham Uddin argued that Ali had struggled with changing regulations.

He said the introduction of selective licensing had left his client overwhelmed.

Furthermore, Ali had attempted to resolve the problems but failed to complete the necessary applications in time.

Uddin said: “My client has not been prosecuted for mistreating any tenants or for evictions.”

He added: “These are regulatory offences – licences were not applied for.”

Magistrates impose £21,680 penalty

Magistrates fined Ali £16,000. They also ordered him to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £3,680 in prosecution costs.

As a result, the total court bill reached £21,680.

The chair of the bench highlighted Ali’s repeated failure to comply with licensing rules.

“Mr Ali has a long history of failure to obtain the correct licences for the properties he owns since 2010,” the chair said.

The case underlines the financial consequences of ignoring property licensing requirements.

Moreover, landlords can face prosecution even where authorities make no allegations of tenant mistreatment.

For letting agents, the case also highlights the importance of checking local licensing rules before marketing or managing rental properties.