Rogue landlord must pay price

Kamran Ghafoor

A LANDLORD who rebelled against a council licensing scheme will have to fork out thousands of pounds for renting out a sub-standard house.

Tenants at the Villa Road property in Hathershaw, owned by Kamran Ghafoor, had to put up with broken central heating, smashed electrical sockets and dodgy controls for the gas fire and cooker.

The 32-year-old landlord has now been fined £1,500 by Oldham Council for failing to rectify the faults despite several reminders. He’ll also have to pay costs of £1,068 to the council.

The news comes just weeks after he rallied local landlords to fight against the introduction of a licensing scheme, aimed at improving private-sector properties and reducing anti-social behaviour in the borough.

Ghafoor, who stood as a Conservative candidate for Oldham West and Royton in the 2010 general election, helped form the Hathershaw Landlords Association to fight the cause in October. He hit out at the one-off cost of up to £500 involved in gaining the licences — intended to help private landlords improve their skills.

The Chronicle reported how he branded the charge a “stealth tax” on landlords.

A council inspector was dispatched to the Villa Road property in January, 2011, after a complaint from the tenant. It was found to be in serious disrepair with hazards also including unsecured doors and windows and drainage issues.

Despite issuing written and verbal warnings and serving a legal notice requesting the works to be done, the council says Ghafoor, of Werneth Hall Road, failed to act.

He pleaded guilty to committing an offence under Section 30 of the Housing Act 2004 at Oldham Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Councillor Dave Hibbert, Cabinet member for housing, transport and regeneration, said: “The council gave this landlord plenty of opportunities to put the faults right in his property but he failed to do so.

“This could have put his tenants at risk. All landlords must ensure that the properties they rent out are safe and healthy to live in.

“We will take action against those who think they can get away with letting sub-standard properties.”