A Nottingham residential landlord has been ordered to refund 80 percent of his tenants rent after he failed to apply for a HMO Licence and let the house they were living in fall into disrepair.

Michael Singh owned the property at 69 Lenton Boulevard and rented it to five students from the University of Nottingham.

Following a prosecution by the City Council the five students, supported by Nottingham University Student Union, applied for a rent repayment order against Singh in the sum of £9,536 for the period of 25 August 2007 to 14 June 2008. The ground for the application was that the tenants were residing in an unsafe property arising from the landlord’s failure to licence the property as a house in multiple occupation (HMO).

Singh was previously fined £8,000 in July 2008 for letting the house fall into disrepair after officers from Nottingham City Council found the roof of the house was on the verge of collapse and leaking water. Officers also discovered Mr Singh did not hold a licence to allow multiple tenants there.

Mr Singh claimed he was unaware of the requirement to license the property at the time it was let to the tenants, despite reminders from officers at Nottingham City Council.

The Tribunal found the Mr Singh showed a blatant disregard of his legal responsibilities as a landlord. The property was an unlicensed HMO throughout the tenancy, exposing the tenants to unacceptable risks to their health and safety, which was demonstrated by the landlord’s lax attitude to fire precautions as revealed in his incomplete application for a licence.

His failure to submit a valid application for a licence was aggravated by the dangerous state of the property when it was let. The Tribunal was satisfied that the landlord was aware of the condition of the ceilings and roof from the outset and chose to do nothing until Nottingham City Council demanded action.