Firm expelled by Ombudsman fined £10,000 in court case

Tuesday 24th July 2012

The lettings firm expelled by the Property Ombudsman last week was involved in a recent court case.

West Yorkshire Lettings had refused to pay a £3,450 award made against it by the Property Ombudsman, saying it could not afford it.

However, it has emerged that the firm was hit with a £10,000 fine by Bradford Magistrates Court last month, after its then director Hameed Islam pleaded guilty to failing to comply with improvement notices at two houses. He admitted two charges against himself and three on behalf of the company.

In one of the properties, failure to fix a blocked toilet led to sewage seeping into a bath. In the second, banisters were missing and there was mould growth.

The company was fined £5,000 each for two of the charges against it, ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £3,600, making a total required payment of £13,615.

Although the Property Ombudsman expelled WYL from its lettings membership, for legal reasons it has had to keep the firm registered for house sales.

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