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When it comes to caring for rental accommodation, it is normally the landlord who has to encourage or motivate tenants to keep the premises looking clean and tidy. One of the biggest problems a landlord must endure is a messy tenant who doesn’t care for their home. However, a landlord has recently been banned from letting property after he let property in dangerous and filthy conditions.

Robert Crow was found to have taken advantage of vulnerable tenants by failing to carry out even a minimal level of maintenance at his properties. Some of the issues found at the property in Southend-On-Sea in Essex included:

Water being allowed to leak through lights
Small bedrooms were hoarded with rubbish
Kitchens left in an unsanitary condition

It was reported in court that one tenant had to wash at a nearby homeless centre as the shower and bath facilities in their rental property were too dirty to be used. Desperate prospective tenants who viewed the property were told that the home would be properly cleaned before any let begun, but the cleaning process never took place.

Many complaints had been made about this landlord

The court was also informed that Mr Crow, who was resident at one of the properties, had been the subject of many complaints from tenants over the years. It was also reported that the address had been complained about with respect to anti-social behaviour on many occasions.

Mr Crow was found guilty of 18 offences by Southend Magistrates, with the offences relating to the “dangerous, unsanitary and substandard conditions of the property”. Mr Crow was fined £36,000 while being ordered to pay costs totalling £7,865.10 and he was also required to pay a victim surcharge of £170. In news which will be more relevant to local tenants, there was a Criminal Behaviour Order served on Mr Crow which prevents anyone apart from himself or his immediate family from entering the property.

Any breach of this order could see Mr Crow imprisoned for a period of up to two years.

The council vows to prevent this from happening again in future

Cllr Tony Cox is the cabinet member for adults and housing at Southend Council, and he spoke to local media after the case, saying; “This landlord has knowingly been putting his tenants at undue risk and failed to provide even the most basic standards of habitation. We have tried to work with the landlord to bring the property up to standard for several years, but he has taken little to no action, yet continued to cash in his rent. Anyone who sees the photographs taken at this house would be rightly disgusted and would immediately understand why we have taken such firm action in this instance. The property was not fit to be rented out and this prosecution ensures that Mr Crow won’t be able to in future.”

While this may not be a usual case in the rental market, it is a reminder to landlords that they have a duty of care for their tenants. This may be an extreme case, but landlords should always look to present their property in the best standard, and a failure to do could land them in serious trouble.

If you are a landlord looking for help when it comes to presenting homes in a suitable manner, get in touch. I am pleased to say I am highly skilled and experienced in assisting landlords, and I look forward to helping you.