Landlord fined nearly £19,000 for letting house without licence - The Leamington Observer

Landlord fined nearly £19,000 for letting house without licence

Leamington Editorial 26th Jan, 2018 Updated: 26th Jan, 2018   0

A LANDLORD has been fined nearly £19,000 for letting his house to five tenants without the necessary licence.

Magistrates at Nuneaton Magistrates Court also heard how Devinder Punian put tenants at risk by failing to take the necessary fire safety measures at the Clarendon Avenue house.

Mr Punian appeared in court on Tuesday (January 23) following investigations by Warwick District Council in July 2017.

Magistrates heard that during an inspection of the property, officers discovered the fire alarm system was defective and had not worked properly for some time.




A fire door leading into the kitchen had also been removed, leaving residents on the upper floor exposed to a fire risk.

There were also a number of other maintenance issues in the house including damp, accumulations of combustible materials and tripping hazards.


The landlord was also unable to produce an electrical installation certificate on request.

Mr Punian was fined some £19,000 including costs and victim surcharge.

Warwick District Council spokesman for housing services, coun Peter Phillips said: “The vast majority of landlords work well with the council and provide good quality accommodation.

“However in cases where tenants’ health and safety is put at risk we will not hesitate to apply the full force of the law.

“The private sector housing team works hard to safeguard vulnerable tenants and I encourage all landlords and tenants who require advice, help or support to contact them.”

The council says in recent months Mr Punian has been working with them to improve his property. He has now been issued with an House in Multiple Occupation licence.

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