A landlord faces being banned form the private rental sector after Peterborough Council caught him housing families in a dangerous property for the second time.

Despite pleading not guilty, Tariq Mahmood Khan was found guilty at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court of failing to comply with a prohibition order under Section 32 of the Housing Act 2004, just 18 months after his first prosecution for the same offence.

The court heard that in September 2024, the council’s housing standards team discovered a family of five living at the home in Clarence Road, including three young children. Officers found it in a poor condition with inadequate lighting, ventilation and fire safety measures, while it was also too small to be reasonably occupied by an individual.

Guilty

Khan was first handed the prohibition order in September 2016 and found guilty of a breach in January 2024. The property became empty but was then let again, resulting in the first prosecution.

Khan pleaded not guilty to the latest charge but was found guilty post-trial and convicted. He was fined £1,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400 and the council’s costs of £1,500.

Given Khan’s repeat offending, Peterborough Council says it will now consider applying for a banning order which will prevent him from operating as a landlord, as well as adding his details to the national rogue landlord database.

Jacqui Harvey, head of environmental health, licensing and trading standards, adds: “We will take appropriate enforcement action under the range of powers available to us if we discover landlords who flagrantly disregard the law. In this case, given that the landlord has repeatedly offended, we will now look at further measures to prevent him from operating as a landlord in future.”

Read more about prohibition order fines.

Main picture: Peterborough City Council.