Slough landlord fined £24,000 for housing failures
A landlord in Slough has been fined £24,000 for failing to comply with an improvement notice issued to him.
Lakhbir Singh Rakhra was reported to the council’s housing regulation team by his tenant in 2021, after the single parent of four children had lived with no heating in the Rochford Gardens property since 2016.
Despite the tenant having made multiple complaints, the landlord failed to address the hazards in the rental home.
Following an inspection of the property, the council wrote to Mr Rakhra asking him to complete repair works within the property, however he failed to undertake those works.
He was then issued with an improvement notice in May 2022, which required him to complete repairs and install appropriate heating by July 2022.
However, as the landlord failed to comply with this on time — having fixed the heating issues in October 2022, months after the stipulated deadline — he was issued with a £25,000 fine by the council in February 2023.
The landlord appealed against the financial penalty to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), claiming that the tenant had obstructed him from carrying out the works.
However, following a hearing in March this year, where the tenant gave evidence in support of the council’s case, the Tribunal made the decision on 17 June that Mr Rakhra had committed an offence and upheld the financial penalty, minus £1,000 to account for wear and tear.
The Tribunal stated: “It is a substantial penalty, but the offence was serious.
“In effect, the appellant was failing to comply with essential repairs which he ought to have carried out anyway before he was served with the notice, and he then failed to comply with the notice itself.
“If he was really being obstructed by his tenant, he could have sought injunctive relief in the County Court; he didn’t do this which supports the fact that there was not really a problem.
“He is clearly an experienced landlord who should know better.”
Niki Bhogal, housing regulation officer, who gave evidence at the tribunal, said: “This case should never have come to tribunal.
“The landlord should have been fulfilling his duties, acting on the concerns of his tenant and putting right the issues identified.
“We hope this will serve as a warning to other landlords to take their responsibilities seriously and ensure their tenants have a safe and fully functioning home."
