Specialist legal support for landlords

Feb. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- Atherton Godfrey, who has been prominent in the town for more than 30 years, has acted in response to the growing number of cases where private residential landlords have fallen foul of the law, often because they were not aware of their legal obligations.

Stacey Pocock, a property litigation solicitor with the firm said: "Being a landlord brings many responsibilities. There have been a number of incidents reported in the regional press where landlords have received hefty fines or even custodial sentences simply for not adhering to their legal obligations."

Recently reported incidents include a landlord jailed for unlawfully evicting a tenant, a landlord fined over £700 for harassing a tenant by sending text messages demandng rent and two landlords who both received suspended prison sentences for failing to maintain gas appliances at a property they jointly owned.

Breaching housing regulations or failing to licence properties used for multiple occupation (HMOs) can also lead to landlords getting on the wrong side of local authorities.

One incident that attracted media attention was that of a Doncaster landlord who was fined more than £6,000 after the local authority prosecuted him for contravening HMO regulations.

Stacey added: "There is a strong message here to landlords that they must comply with relevant regulations.

"Many landlords are often unaware of what is required from a legal standpoint. Unfortunately for them, ignorance of the law is no defence and does not get them out of paying the penalties."