A tribunal into a £21,000 fine issued to a Hatfield landlord will be heard again following an appeal by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

Ms Wang, had been issued two fines by the council following an inspection of a house in multiple occupation, she owned in Hatfield.

The council issued the notices under section 249A of the Housing Act 2004, which proposed penalties totalling £21,000 for faults found in the house, including inadequate smoke detectors, damp and mould and obstructions to fire escape routes.

However, following an appeal by the landlord, the First-Tier Tribunal ruled that the two notices of intent to impose financial penalties issued by the council lacked the detail and clarity needed for her to make representations against them.

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The council then appealed against that ruling, citing the phone calls and correspondence to discuss the works needed to make the HMO compliant with property regulations.

The Upper-Tier Tribunal agreed with the council, with the Deputy Chamber President stating that the procedure adopted by the FTT was unfair. The case will now be heard again by the First-Tier Tribunal with a different panel.

"We will always support and educate the landlord to rectify any breaches of HMO regulations as we did in this case, and issuing a CPN is the last resort," said councillor Lynn Chesterman.

"We have a successful Partnership Accreditation for Landlords scheme that supports and promotes accredited landlords and partner agents. 

"I’d like to thank our officers for their hard work in this process and in enabling us to return to the landlord’s appeal at the First-Tier Tribunal for a rehearing."