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Industry first: lettings agency fined twice in same week for property management offences

Century 21 Cameron Adams and its director Hasan Younis ordered to pay a total of £44,000 in fines and costs handed down relating to different cases.

Nigel Lewis

estate agency

A lettings agency in London has been fined twice in the same week for serious offences discovered at two separate properties in what is believed to be a first within the private rented sector.

East London firm Century 21 Cameron Adams must now pay fines totalling £44,00 for breaches at the two addresses, which have been dealt with in two separate actions brought by the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Century 21 head office in the UK (see comment below) have released a statement to reveal they have now terminated his franchise

Three days ago the agency was fined £16,000 after failing to close an illegal gambling and drinking den at a house in Belmont Close in Leyton owned by landlord Hasan Younis, a director of Cameron Adams Ltd, which trades under the Century 21 brand.

The fine came after Younis was warned by council officers following complaints by neighbours of anti-social behaviour at the house, which when raided was found to contain 75,000 cigarettes and 800 packs of playing cards and a large amount of alcohol.

Seven charges

But yesterday the council also revealed that Yanis’ agency had also pleaded guilty to seven charges relating to the management of another property including failing to hold a mandatory HMO licence.

Century 21 Cameron Adams was fined £25,000 by Thames Magistrates Court and must also pay costs of £3,000.

Council enforcement officers who visited the property found potentially life-endangering issues.

These included no working smoke detectors, serious drainage problems (pictured, above), inadequate heating, and dangerously haphazard entrance steps. Six people were living in the unlicensed property when the visit took place.

“I’m glad that Cameron Adams Ltd admitted their guilt and did not even try to defend the atrocious condition of this property,” says Cllr Louise Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness Prevention (left).

The lettings agency manages 100 properties in the area and the council is not reviewing the property licences at all addresses where the firm is named as the licence holder or manager.

Statement from Century 21

“Century 21 UK has been made aware that the Cameron Adams franchisee has been fined in relation to serious property management offences. As the UK franchisor of the global Century 21 brand, the business takes a zero tolerance approach to franchisees that fail to comply with the law or fail to uphold the high standards of service that customers expect from Century 21.

“Century 21 UK has therefore terminated the Franchise Agreement for Cameron Adams with immediate effect.”

 

Read more about letting agencies fined.

January 31, 2020

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