Local councils in Derby and Loughborough have issued substantial fines to landlords for breaching housing regulations and failing to license rental properties, with penalties totalling more than £57,000.
In the most severe case, Loughborough landlord Olawunmi Odunaiya was fined £29,000 after being found guilty of failing to license 29 privately rented flats at a building she owns on The Coneries. The case, heard at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on April 1, followed a prosecution by Charnwood Borough Council under its selective licensing scheme, introduced in 2023 to improve housing standards in the private rental sector.
The court was told Mrs Odunaiya owns 33 of the 40 flats in the building yet had only licensed four. Despite multiple warnings and offers of support from the council, she failed to license the remaining 29.
Meanwhile, in Derby two landlords were fined a combined £10,000+ following separate investigations by Derby City Council’s housing standards team.
Kevin Adrian Sutton, 57, was fined £6,000 after failing to renew the licence for a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) on Milton Street, despite receiving three reminders. A council inspection found five unrelated students living at the property, meaning it legally required a licence under the Housing Act 2004 Sutton pleaded guilty at South Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court and was also ordered to pay prosecution costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
In a separate case, Ramzan Ali, 31, was fined £2,000 for failing to provide tenancy agreements and a valid Gas Safety Certificate for a property on Eton Road. A council survey found nine safety hazards. Ali, found guilty in his absence, was also ordered to pay court costs and an £800 victim surcharge.
These cases highlight a growing regional focus on protecting tenants and holding landlords accountable for meeting legal responsibilities. Both councils say they are committed to raising housing standards and will not hesitate to prosecute landlords who fail to comply with the law.