Landlord fined over safety breaches

A PROPERTY company has been ordered to pay £12,400 to Manchester City Council after breaching safety regulations.

Beckhall Properties Ltd, of Lower Hillgate, Stockport, was fined a total of £11,000 for 11 separate offences at a court hearing.

The company was also ordered to pay the council’s court costs of £1,280, along with a victim of crime surcharge of £120.

Representatives of Beckhall Properties failed to appear in court and the case was proved in their absence.

Council officers were alerted to the condition of a property on Clarendon Road, Whalley Range, south Manchester in May 2015 when a tenant of flat owned by Beckhall Properties, complained about the condition of the premises.

When council officers visited the property to carry out an inspection they found a number of breaches of management regulations, including: a defective fire alarm and fire extinguishers, as well as a fire door that did not meet regulations. Stairs at the property were also found to be in a dangerous condition and there was no safety certificate for the building’s electrics.

Beckhall Properties is required to meet management regulations for their building – which is converted into self-contained flats – under Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation. The regulations ensure minimum safety standards are maintained including fire safety and gas safety.

The city council invited Beckhall Properties to discuss the areas of concern at an interview under caution but received no response.

Cllr Bernard Priest, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We take the issue of tenant safety extremely seriously and the size of the punishment shows the court shares our concern. “