'Sheer drop' landlord is banned

A rogue landlord who was letting out a property with a first floor bedroom door leading to a sheer drop down to ground level has been banned by a local council.

Leonardo Ippolito from Ayr has been declared to not be a fit and proper person to be registered as a private landlord - the first such decision by South Ayrshire council.

The ban has come after the local authority's regulatory panel revoked his registration in November 2013 and refused a new application for registration in August 2014, based on the conditions of the properties he had previously let.

Ippolito appealed both decisions but Ayr Sheriff Court has now confirmed the decision, meaning it becomes a criminal offence for him to operate as a landlord beyond the ending of his current tenancies.

The council says this is the culmination of many years of bids by the authority to ensure Ippolito's portfolio - which has included up to 14 rental properties - met appropriate legal and safety requirements. The sheer drop' property was just one of a number who were alleged to have contravened appropriate health and safety legislation.

Ippolito already has three convictions for operating unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation.