Landlord fined for failing to make improvements on hazard-ridden Worksop property

Susan Jubb appeared at Mansfield County Court on April 13 after failing to make improvements to the hazard-ridden property at Ely Close.

The property was deemed to be too treacherous for tenants as it had no fire alarms, fire damage to the rear of the building, no adequate fire escapes and concerns over the security of the property after the front door had been”nailed shut”.

It also boasted unsecure windows, inadequate internal doors, electrical faults and loose cabling, missing floorboards, loose carpets on a steep staircase and concerns over heating system and insulation.

Jubb, of The Old Vicarage in Elkesley, near Retford, was required to have completed the work detailed in an improvement notice issued by Bassetlaw District Council by October 27 2016.

But officers were denied entry to make further inspections and were only able to fully inspect the property on October 16 2016.

Since this date, the property has been shut down after becoming the subject of a closure order imposed by Nottinghamshire Police in relation to anti-social behaviour, which expired in February 2018.

The building is now the subject of a prohibition order which means that Jubb cannot allow anyone to live there until all of the work has been completed to the satisfaction of housing officers from the council’s environmental health team.

A spokesman for Bassetlaw District Council said: “We welcome the court’s decision and a significant fine is justified after Jubb had taken advantage of a tenant and forced them to live in uninhabitable and unsafe conditions.

“Thanks to the council’s prohibition order, Jubb must also bring her property up to the necessary standard before she will be allowed to rent out the property or allow anyone to live in the property.

“We hope that this serves as a warning to other landlords whose properties are not up to the required standard or pose a danger to their tenants.”

Jubb was fined £2,666 in addition to costs of £3,519 and a victim surcharge of £266- totalling £6,451.