Durham County Council has secured a two-year banning order against rogue landlord Kamran Adil, along with a £63,000 fine, and will take over the management of his occupied homes.

The council said it is one of the first in the region to successfully ban a landlord from renting out residential properties. The order was granted by the First Tier Property Tribunal, preventing Adil from operating as a landlord or acting as a managing agent for two years.

Tenants at risk

Durham County Council applied for the banning order after Adil “repeatedly put vulnerable tenants at risk by failing to ensure minimum housing safety standards” and failed to comply with its Selective Licensing scheme, which gives it the power to regulate landlords in 103 areas of the county.

Adil was taken to court twice, in 2023 and 2024, after failing to license eight rental properties, ignoring improvement notices and failing to engage with the council. As a result, he was found guilty of 14 offences under the Housing Act 2004 and fined £63,000, plus costs and charges, following his most recent conviction at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court.

In its decision, Tribunal Judge Brown concluded that Adil had “persistently failed” to comply with statutory housing management requirements. He added: “We found that the serious sanction of a banning order is required to deter reoffending and ensure statutory and regulatory compliance and that it is a just and proportionate punishment, taking into account the need also to deter others from similar behaviour.”

Applying for a banning order was not a decision we took lightly, but it reflects just how serious Kamran Adil’s offences are.”

Evidence presented to the tribunal showed that Adil had sold 11 rental properties before the tribunal but kept 15, including two that are occupied. The running of the tenanted ones will be taken over by the council during the ban.

Cllr Joe Quinn (pictured), Cabinet Member for Planning, Investments and Assets, says: “Our Selective Licensing scheme exists to ensure accommodation in County Durham is safe and well-managed, and to protect private sector tenants from landlords who ignore their duties.

“Applying for a banning order was not a decision we took lightly, but it reflects just how serious Kamran Adil’s offences are.”