Trophy Homes Ltd, a letting agent operating unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), has been hit with a Banning Order by Liverpool City Council. The order was granted by a First-tier Tribunal and will prohibit the letting agent from letting housing in England, engaging in English letting agency work, engaging in English property management work, or doing two or more of these things. Breaching the Banning Order is a criminal offence. The order was granted due to convictions from February 2023 such as the company’s failure to license two HMO properties.
Trophy Homes Ltd will be placed on the Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents, which all housing authorities in England have access to, as a result of the Banning Order. Existing tenancies will not be subject to the ban for six months, but Trophy Homes is prevented from granting any new tenancies. However, current tenancies can end or assign without a significant impact on current occupiers.
The Banning Order was granted on Thursday, 25 April 2024, under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and will remain in place for four years. Earlier this month, Trophy Homes Ltd was charged upwards of £250,000 for the failure to license their HMO properties. Residents who have concerns about their rented home can search the register of licensed properties or report poor quality conditions or a landlord.
Liverpool City Council’s Private Sector Housing team emphasizes that HMO licensing is vital to ensure license holders’ properties are kept to a decent standard. HMOs pose a higher risk to safety than other rental properties. A person living in an HMO is six times more likely to die in a fire compared to a single-occupancy property. Due to the greater number of individuals in the property, there is an increased chance of rapid wear to vital safety features like fire doors and smoke alarms. Students living in HMOs can be vulnerable residents, as they may be living independently, perhaps in a different city or country for the first time, and may be unaware or worried about complaining to their landlord or the council.
Louise Harford, Liverpool City Council’s Interim Director of Housing, said, “We will always work with landlords and letting agents in the city — but we will also always take action where it is needed to keep tenants safe. It is extremely disappointing that Trophy Homes has not taken their responsibilities as letting agents seriously, and this Banning Order will give them a substantial amount of time to get their own house in order. The granting of this Order will also send a further signal that the council’s Private Sector Housing team will not tolerate landlords and letting agents who ignore their legal obligations.”
Read the full article on Liverpool Express here: Read More
