NAMED AND SHAMED: Criminal landlords in Ashfield

The names of some of Ashfield’s most unscrupulous landlords have been released this week after a legal case allowed them to be made public.

The list found that between 2009 and 2014, 11 Ashfield landlords were convicted for a total of 22 offences - meaning that this district has the highest number of landlord prosecutions in Nottinghamshire.

This comes after a database containing the names of hundreds of convicted private landlords across the UK has been made public for the first time following a legal case between Environment Health News (EHN) and the Ministry of Justice and Information Commissioner.

The database shows that 2,006 individuals and companies were fined nearly £3million for housing offences under the Housing Act 2004 between 2006 and 2014.

It has also been found that Nottinghamshire is second to London with the highest number of prosecutions on the database.

Specialist solicitors and the private sector enforcement team at Ashfield District Council prosecuted the following landlords between 2009 and 2014: Mrs Suzanne Hoyt-Cummings, Georgia Properties (2003) Ltd, Mr Amirundin Kamrudin Hirani, Mrs Yasmin Hirani, Mr Simon Paul Doherty, Mr Kok Wah Lee, Mr Tirth Ram and Mrs Manjit Kaur, Mr Reg Griffin, Mr Zaheer Hussain and Dennis Rye Limited.

These landlords committed a total of 22 offences, exposing their tenants to significant risks.

In 2013, Chad reported that Mr Kok Wah Lee left one of his properties in a hazardous condition.

The team has also inspected 2,981 properties in a sub-standard condition from 2009 to July 2015.

81 per cent of these properties have carried out the action advised by the team without any legal action having to be taken.

Ashfield district councillor Cheryl Butler is pleased that the database has been made public.

She said: “It gives national recognition and reflects the tireless efforts of our private sector enforcement team who continue to improve the standards of privately rented accommodation within Ashfield.”

A spokesman for the council added that the private sector enforcement team has worked to develop a positive relationship with many landlords who want to deliver good quality housing in the area.

This is mainly through a forum which offers landlords the opportunity to engage with the council and receive free training and advice.

Cheryl added: “The authority strives to help improve the quality of our tenant’s lives and will not tolerate rogue landlords.”

Related topics: