Telford rogue landlord first to be banned under new law
- Published
David Beattie was ordered to pay back almost £2,000 in housing benefit
A man has been banned from being a landlord in the first case of its kind under new legislation.
David Beattie deliberately misled tenants over their rights by telling them they could be evicted within 48 hours, Telford and Wrekin Council said.
A tribunal granted the council a banning order and rent repayment order over a seven-bedroom home let by Beattie in Shropshire.
The 47-year-old cannot let or be involved in letting for five years.
He is the first person in England to be banned from being a landlord under new legislation brought in a year ago, external, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
In February, Beattie admitted managing the property in Dudmaston as a home of multiple occupancy (HMO), between June and September 2018, without a licence - contrary to the Housing Act.
'Unfit landlord'
An HMO licence is required for a rental property in which five or more people live as two or more households.
The Birmingham tribunal heard there had been "a long history of local authority involvement" with the property, resulting in Beattie, from Telford, being refused an HMO licence in 2015 because he "was not a fit and proper person".
Beattie had issued a different licence to tenants - stating it did not "create any form of tenancy" and they could be evicted in 48 hours or less - instead of an assured short-hold tenancy.
He continued to run the house and advertise rooms to let, the hearing was told.
In mitigation, Beattie, a DJ who owns seven houses, said one male "tenant" was homeless and he was "helping him out".
He also claimed he was a full-time landlord and had never been told he could not use licences.
The tribunal ruled Beattie's licences were "a deliberate attempt to mislead tenants as to their legal rights and security of tenure".
He was also ordered to pay back almost £2,000 in housing benefits relating to two of his former tenants.
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