A Liverpool landlord firm is facing a £12,606 bill after pleading guilty to eight Housing Act offences at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

Ballpark Property Limited was prosecuted by Liverpool City Council after failing to license eight rental properties under the city’s Selective Licensing scheme, despite having previous convictions for identical offences under the city’s old licensing regime which ran from 2015 to 2020.

The judge noted that the original £200-per-property fine had ‘clearly failed’ as a deterrent and quintupled the penalty to £1,000 per unlicensed property.

Repeat offender

The court heard that council officers had attempted to engage with the company during their investigation but did not receive an adequate response, forcing them to pursue a prosecution through the courts.

The company’s solicitors told the magistrates that all eight properties were now fully licensed under the current scheme but admitted the firm had ‘a history of this offence.’

Councillor Hetty Wood, Cabinet Member for Housing, told the Liverpool Express: “We are committed to working alongside landlords to ensure rental properties in Liverpool are safe and well-managed.

Those that are in designated areas have a legal duty to sign up for the scheme.”

“Our Landlord Licensing scheme plays a crucial role in ensuring that every rented home meets the required standards. Those that are in designated areas have a legal duty to sign up for the scheme.

“When landlords or letting agents fail to meet their legal obligations, as in this case, they should expect to face enforcement action.”

The hefty fine is symptomatic of Magistrates taking a tougher stance on rogue landlords, with some licensing fines reaching as high as £30,000.

And, Liverpool has been particularly active in the area, since 2022, it has carried out more than 9,000 inspections, which have resulted in 14 successful prosecutions.