Trophy Homes Ltd pleaded guilty at the Magistrates Court to failing to apply for licences for two HMOs which it rented out to students and the District Judge hearing the case said the company was "poorly run" and showed a "clear lack of regard" for the tenants.

The properties also had a number of disrepair issues including ineffective fire doors, intermittent electricity and gas supply, drainage overflowing into a shared living room and, in one of the properties, a manhole cover was placed over a hole in the lounge floor.

The company was not unaware of HMO licensing legislation and its requirements as it had previously been fined £45,000 in 2020 for similar offences and District Judge Hatton, referencing the previous prosecution, said the landlord company had not "learned its lesson" and, as well as a lack of regard for the tenants, showed "a lack of compliance and a lack of cooperation".

The current prosecution saw the landlord fined £15,000 per property as well as £904 in costs and a £190 victim surcharge. Cllr. Sarah Doyle, Cabinet Member for Strategic Housing and Development, said "Trophy Homes Limited was happy to take the rent from students, yet provided them with sub-standard accommodation that put them at risk of injury, or much worse. I am pleased that the court has imposed a substantial fine which will hopefully persuade the firm to change its ways and comply with the law in future. Our recently launched Landlord Licensing scheme gives us the capacity to really step up our ability to inspect private sector rental properties, and take action when it is needed."

Coincidentally, Cllr. Doyle has also commented on another Liverpool Council prosecution, this time of a PRS landlord who failed to properly manage his vacant property and who ignored repeated council notices served on him under the Environmental Protection Act. The council itself ended up carrying out works in default to resolve the problems at the property.

The front garden of the empty property had become overgrown, was full of dumped rubbish and waste and vermin had begun nesting in the property leading to complaints from local residents. This landlord was fined £1,100 and had to pay costs of £1,365 and a surcharge of £308. Cllr. Doyle said "Landlords have a responsibility to contribute positively to the communities and neighbourhoods their properties are in. Ensuring their properties are kept in decent condition to avoid attracting .... pests and causing Anti-Social Behaviour is the minimum we expect .... [This] landlord's lack of action was causing issues .... and he showed no interest in sorting it out when he was served with a notice, so we were left with no other option than to take court action."

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