A landlord with multiple properties in Bootle has been ordered to pay £22,600 after ignoring safety risks that left his tenants facing 'imminent danger'.

Puvirasa Thankavel was originally served with an emergency prohibition order by Sefton Council in May 2022 due to multiple safety hazards in three of his lettings on Hawthorne Road, all of which are above shops (main image).

An inspection uncovered multiple hazards including risk of electrocution, fire and cold, damaged electrical outlets, inadequate fire separation between premises and unmaintained entrances.

Despite the ban, a further council inspection in November 2023 found that the homes were still being let out by the landlord and serious risks remained.

Guilty

Thankavel pleaded guilty at Sefton Magistrates Court to breaching the initial order and renting the property out unlicensed. The court noted that his tenants were in “immediate risk” of danger and that if a fire had taken place, it would have been “catastrophic”.

Councillor Daren Veidman, cabinet member for housing and highways, says cases like this, where landlords put residents in dangerous living conditions, are completely unacceptable.

He adds: “Sefton Council will continue to inspect properties owned by landlords to ensure that they are kept to an acceptable standard, and we will continue to seek prosecutions against landlords who do not follow the basic guidelines.”

The authority reports that it is dedicating more time to enforcement cases and has other prosecutions pending. Over the past five years, it has served more than 100 civil penalty fines to landlords ranging from £250 to £15,000. Last year, it extended its selective and additional licensing schemes until the end of February 2028.