A landlord who blamed her agent and tenants for not telling her about a selective licensing scheme has been hit with a £10,572 rent repayment order.

A landlord who blamed her agent and tenants for not telling her about a selective licensing scheme has been hit with a £10,572 rent repayment order.

Dr Ming Tsow’s two tenants realised their two-bedroom flat didn’t have a property licence when Tower Hamlet’s selective licensing team officer visited all the flats in the purpose-built block in Skyline Plaza Building (pictured), Commercial Road, on 10th August 2022, following a fire.

A First Tier Property Tribunal heard that no electrical safety certificates were provided and there was no building alarm meaning that the tenants were woken by smoke filling their apartment, raising serious concerns about fire safety compliance. The tenants said Tsow had also failed to register the tenancy deposit.

The landlord only applied for a licence on 6th September 2022 after being sent two letters, but then failed to provide the necessary supporting evidence.

Tsow told the tribunal she was a responsible landlord who had managed the property for more than 20 years but was ignorant of the scheme as she had had no reminder from the agent or tenants. She was also under a sustained period of stress following a violent assault and the pandemic.

'Little chaotic'

The judge said it appeared she was a “little chaotic” about her management of the property.

“In circumstances like this where the respondent considers that she is suffering from stress the tribunal would expect that a responsible landlord would arrange for professional management,” he added.

“If the respondent had gone through the licensing process, the local authority would have ensured that the appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure the safety of the occupants. By neglecting to apply for a licence the respondent placed the applicants at risk.”

Picture credit: Open Rent.