Ordered to pay £5000

Landlord Almas Rashid pleaded guilty to seven offences, including two relating to poor fire safety, under the Housing Act 2004 for his two houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Doncaster.

He was ordered to pay £400 per offence, totalling £2800, plus more than £2500 in costs and a victim surcharge.

Cllr Glyn Jones, deputy mayor and cabinet member for Housing and Equalities, said: “This positive court result sends out a clear message to landlords.

“The council takes reasonable effort to secure compliance with the law by a process of advice and education.

“However, where appropriate, we will not hesitate to take tough action against landlords who fail to comply with licensing rules as we strive to drive up standards, improve safety for tenants and reduce the negative impacts experienced by some of our communities.”

The offences Almas Rashid pled guilty to included failure to comply with an improvement notice after a council inspection and non-compliance with HMO regulations relating to poor fire safety and management.