A landlord who was previously fined £15,000 for failing to comply with selective licencing, has again been fined £20,000 for renting out a property without an appropriate licence.
Rudolph Pink was prosecuted by Thanet Council and the fine is the largest handed out for a selective licensing offence in Thanet.
In 2011, Thanet District Council designated certain parts of Cliftonville West and Margate Central as a selective licensing area.
Unless subject to exemption, all privately rented properties within the area must be licensed with the council. Selective licensing was introduced to help tackle low housing demand and anti-social behaviour, and is part of the council's wider regeneration activities in Margate. The scheme requires landlords to comply with a range of conditions to ensure good property management.
Pink, from south London, failed to make a selective licence application for a rented house in Margate despite council requests that he comply with the scheme.
He did not attend Canterbury Magistrates' Court but the prosecution case was proven in his absence. Pink was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay a contribution of £120 towards the council's prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £120.
Council spokesman Richard Nicholson says: Selective licensing cannot simply be ignored. This fine of £20,000 is the maximum possible for this type of offence and sends out a strong message to those landlords who are continuing to ignore the scheme.
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