Council to protect tenants against rogue landlords
Gateshead CouncilA council has warned rogue landlords it will "not hesitate" to crack down on those putting their tenants' safety at risk.
Gateshead Council's cabinet member for housing, Chris Buckley, said everyone "deserves a safe, decent home" and the local authority would take action against landlords who failed to provide one.
His comments came after the council successfully sought a 10-year banning order against landlord Anthony Hall, from Birtley, whose properties had mould and unsafe gas appliances.
Buckley said Hall had "repeatedly ignored the law and put vulnerable residents at risk".
"That is completely unacceptable," he said.
"This banning order protects tenants and sends a very clear warning to others - if you fail to maintain your properties and compromise people's wellbeing, we will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action."
'Serious enforcement actions'
Hall was handed the banning order at a residential property court in Manchester on 9 January.
Tenants of his three properties - two in Birtley and another in Bensham - were left dealing with serious hazards, including damp, mould, unsafe gas appliances, dangerous electrical wiring and difficult to open emergency exits.
In September, Hall attended South Tyneside Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to offences under the Housing Act 2004 relating to three properties.
But the council said he failed to carry out the urgent improvement works needed to make them safe.
He had previously been fined in October 2023 for failing to comply with landlord licencing conditions and again in March 2024 for managing an unlicensed property.
Gateshead Council sought a banning order but said when the case was heard Hall made no representations and did not engage with the tribunal process.
The council said the banning order was "one of the most serious enforcement actions" available to it and barred its subjects from renting out or managing properties.
The local authority said it it hoped Hall's ban would deter other landlords in the area from disregarding housing law.
