Leading council has so far fined rogue agents and landlords £100,000

Brent Council, which says it has fined agents and landlords £100,000 since introducing civil penalties last year, revealed it had collected £63,500 of the fines levied and is waiting to collect the remainder under its 49-day payment rules. “When we start the process of issuing a Civil Penalty Notice there is a legal process that we have to follow in order to [firstly] notify the landlord of or intention to issues a CPN and [also] allow a period of time for the landlord to appeal the issuing of the CPN,” a council spokesperson says. “[If a landlord] refuses to pay the civil penalty once the allotted period has expired, Brent Council will pursue the case through to the civil courts.” Brent, along with Hackney and Tower Hamlets, is one of the capital’s most deprived areas and has come down hard on landlords and agents who provide sub-standard accommodation. Nearly 5,000 properties within its boundaries are now covered by two main property licensing schemes. These are a borough-wide licensing scheme for HMOs as well as a selective licensing scheme for rented properties within certain areas, which the borough charges £340 for a five-year license. The fines collection figure came to light…