Property management company Maybach Lettings has been fined £5,100 by Telford & Wrekin council for failure to carry out essential repairs to a home in the borough despite previous requests from the council for the repairs to be carried out.

The company (which manages over 130 homes in the area) had been requested to obtain a damp survey report and carry out repairs to resolve excess cold hazards at the privately rented home but failed to comply with the requests and an improvement notice despite assuring the council that they would get the repairs done.

A director of the company pleased guilty on the company's behalf to a housing act offence at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court. The company had been served with an improvement notice in November 2020 but on return inspection visits by council environmental health officers in March and September 2021 it was found that the requests for repairs to be done and the improvement notice had in fact been ignored by the company. The District Judge hearing the case said there had been "a deliberate and flagrant breach of the [improvement] notice".

Cllr. Richard Overton, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing enforcement and transport said "We want to work closely with landlords and property firms as much as we can but this case clearly demonstrates that we will not tolerate requests being ignored and surveys and essential maintenance work not being completed.".

Council legal costs of 4,254.32 and a victim surcharge of £190 were also ordered to be paid by the company.