Un-licenced landlord fined

A Stoke on Trent landlord, Michelle Hill has been fined £1,500 by magistrates after refusing to register for the council's landlord taxation, sorry I mean landlord licence scheme.

It is the first time a landlord has been prosecuted for failing to join the city council's 'Selective Licensing Scheme, set in the Tunstall area of the city.

Michelle Hill  appeared before Stafford Magistrates' Court after being prosecuted by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and was fined £1,500 alongside legal costs of £661.06. On top of this she will now be forced to apply for a £500 licence (that's right £500 for a licence, it wasn't that many years ago you could by a house in Stoke for that ) if she wishes to carry on renting out property in the area. Plus, her tenants will be able to claim back any of the rents they paid during the time the rental property has been left unlicensed.

The two other landlords who are awaiting trial for the same offence are probably wishing they'd paid the landlord tax, sorry, landlord licence fee in the first place.

Stoke on Trent Council will no doubt be reviewing the scheme to see how much money it has raised before rolling it out to all rental property in the area, oh and maybe see if it improves standards. Now that would be a bonus - wouldn't it?

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