A landlord has been fined almost £5000 for operating an illegal House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) in Tylorstown.
Mr Laib Director of Laib property Investment limited, is the owner of the property at East Court Flats, 170-171 East Road, Tylorstown and has been found guilty for a second time for operating an HMO without a licence from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Environmental Health Department.
Mr Laib has been the ‘person in control’ of the premises, that housed EIGHT flats since 2021. In March 2022, the owner received official notification from the Council that a HMO Licence was required, following a building survey report confirming that the property was not converted in line with the standards of the 1991 Building Regulations – this meant that the HMO would therefore be licensable by the Local Authority under Section 55 and 56 of the Housing Act 2004.
The Council’s Environmental Health Officers worked with Mr Laib over the course of TWO years to help and advise the landlord on getting a licence. During this time the Local Authority received a copy of a legal notice from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in relation to inadequate fire precautions at the premises. Following a full investigation of the premises the Council contacted all leaseholders at East Court to advise them of the situation and informed them to contact Mr Laib.
Another inspection of the communal areas and all of the flats in the building apart from flat 3, revealed that the communal area had no lighting, dampness and issues with the stair treads. The buildings intercom system was also not working. Following this visit an Improvement Notice was served on the Laib Property Investment Limited requiring the Freeholder to resolve these issues. The Improvement Notice did not cover fire safety issues as this was being dealt with between the freeholder and the Fire Service.
Despite continuous attempts to advise Mr Laib, the Council had no choice, other than to refer the matter to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court.
On the 13 March 2024 Laib Property Investment Limited and Mr Laib were found guilty in their absence at Merthyr Magistrates Court of operating an unlicensed HMO which required licensing.
Mr Laib and Laib Property Investment Limited were given a combined fine of over £2278. This is broken down into a Fine of £660, Victim Surcharge of £264 and Costs of £215 (£1139) each.
The Council informed Laib Property Investment Limited of the outcome of the Court Hearing as they failed attend. The letter advised that the property still requires an HMO licence and explained that if a licence application was not submitted within 21 days then further enforcement action would be considered.
As no HMO licence application was received and no evidence had been submitted to demonstrate that the building should not be licensed, the matter was once again referred to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court and Mr Laib was again found guilty on the 23rd January 2025.
Laib Property Investment Limited and Mr Laib were both fined £770 for operating without a licence, £215 costs and a £308 surcharge, giving a total of £1293 each, to be paid within 28 days. This brings the total fine for the second conviction to £2586 for Mr Laib as the owner and, Laib Property Investment Limited, with Mr Laib listed as Company Director.
In total the combined fine for both convictions for all involved is almost £5000 – with the total coming to £4864, which is a considerable amount higher than the cost of an HMO licence!
Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, said:
“Houses in multiple occupation often play a central role in meeting housing needs. They offer accommodation that is typically cheaper than other private rental options and is an affordable option relied upon by groups like students and young professionals.
“They are now the second-largest tenure in the UK and the numbers continue to rise. The Council has a duty to make sure that landlords do not exploit their tenants and enforce mandatory licensing.
“Yet again the Environmental Health team have helped to protect the rights and safety of residents who rent HMOs with private landlords. The hard work of the team to uphold standards in the County Borough has led to another successful prosecution of a landlord who failed to comply, and it should be seen as a strong warning to landlords all over the County Borough that they must comply with the rules or face the consequences.
“Landlords have a duty to proactively manage all of their properties, routinely identifying and resolving problems as they arise and Mr Laib ignored a multitude of attempts, which not only broke the law but could have put the safety of his tenants at risk.
“The Council is committed to creating safe and strong communities and we’ll always take action against rogue landlords who flout the rules.”
