The importance of choosing the right Leicester landlord services and letting agent cannot be overstated.
Whether you are a prospective tenant looking for a new home to rent or a landlord looking for effective management for your property, choosing a good agent such as Keywest is vital if you want to be assured that your asset is properly protected.
Making the wrong choice can be a costly business. If you are a tenant, it can put your well-being in jeopardy, whilst landlords risk their livelihoods and stand the chance of losing on their investment. Choosing Keywest, meanwhile, means opting for a superior level of service to minimise risks and maximise on opportunities for happiness and success.
If you still need convincing, a recent court case in Leicester stands as a cautionary tale for landlords, tenants and lesser letting agents who may be tempted to cut corners or fail to comply with the law when it comes to the lettings process.
IPS (Leicester) Ltd, of London Road, has been ordered to pay out over £12,000 in court costs and fines after the agent was convicted of a total of seven charges in relation to their failing to carry out maintenance and repair to a rental property.
Magistrates in the city found that the company was guilty of being in breach of regulations in relation to a seven-occupant house in Highfields. The agent was ordered to pay a £750 fine for each charge, along with £75 as a victim surcharge and £7,000 in costs.
A hearing was held after Leicester City Council bought the case to court. The agent pleaded not guilty on all charges, claiming that it was not the property’s managing agent. The council rejected this, however, saying that IPS (Leicester) Ltd took ten per cent of the rent collected and did hold responsibility for dealing with repairs and maintenance.
Council spokesperson Nicki Agalamanyi said that the main concerns for the tenants at the house included damp, damage to a fire door, cracked ceiling plaster throughout the property, a faulty front door lock, a broken toilet extractor fan, an electric shower that did not work, a blocked shower on another floor, a boundary fence that had collapsed, a broken door frame and cracked window frames that allowed water to get into a bedroom.
Leicester City Council was made aware of the condition of the property in February of 2014. Letters were sent to the agent and to Dr Obas Ebohon, the owner of the property. Ms Agalamanyi said Dr Ebohon got the work done, but the agent said it was just a rent collector rather than the property’s manager.
Last September, Dr Ebohon was ordered to pay a fine of £1,500 for not applying for a licence for the house of multiple occupation and another £500 for not displaying his contact details at the property
Ms Agalamanyi said that Dr Ebohon owns ten properties, now has a licence, and runs all but the property in question himself.
