Nine men struck off Glasgow landlord register

PRS housing stockNine rogue landlords have been barred from renting properties in Glasgow after failing to meet legal obligations.

Glasgow City Council’s licensing and regulatory committee found that the men, six of whom owned flats in the Govanhill area, were unfit to rent out property after all landlords failed to meet legal obligations and one was also convicted of assault with intent to rape.

The ruling means they could face criminal prosecution and fines of up to £50,000 if they attempt to let their property.

Five of the landlords who were barred own properties within the Govanhill Enhanced Enforcement Area, which has allowed council officers to impose higher standards of regulation on all landlords.

There were also concerns relating to the condition of the properties following inspections carried out by council officers.

Hamid Akram, Tauheed Hussain, Mohammed Adnan Hussain, Shakeel Shahid and Simon Tsang own seven properties between them in Westmoreland Street.

Tauheed Hussain also owns a property in Langside Road as well as other parts of the south side of Glasgow.

The sixth landlord, Johar Mirza, was barred from the register following his conviction for assault with intent to rape and for letting properties that failed to meet the tolerable housing standard.

Mirza owns properties in Allison Street, Boyd Street and Jamieson Street as well as another on Bath Street in the city centre.

Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety said: “Members of the Private Landlord Registration team deserve great credit for bringing these cases forward.

“The diligence of the landlord registration team has led directly to six failing Govanhill landlords being stopped in their tracks.

“There have been too many landlords in Govanhill who have refused to take their responsibilities seriously and have brought the area down.”

He added: “Thanks to the powers the council secured through the creation of the enhanced enforcement area, we are making serious inroads against those landlords who have undermined the Govanhill community.

“Let’s be clear: the enhanced enforcement area allows the council to demand high standards of those who rent out property within the four blocks.

“Where landlords fail to meet the high standards of the enforcement area they will be brought to book.

“When this new enforcement approach is added to the impact of multi-million-pound acquisition programme within the four blocks area, I am fully confident in the long-term prospects for Govanhill.”

Three other landlords with properties in other parts of Glasgow were also barred from the register on the basis of their criminal convictions.

Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, welcomed the news that action has been taken against the landlords in Govanhill and called for support for the affected tenants.

Mr Harvie said: “It is good to see Glasgow City Council finally taking action against rogue landlords who have continually failed to ensure their property is fit for tenants to live in and ensure their safety, in an area of the city that has been blighted by housing issues for many years.

“What matters now is safeguarding any current tenants still living in properties owned by the landlords in question who may now be facing eviction or homelessness in the weeks before Christmas. These landlords are the ones who should suffer the consequences, not their tenants. The management of the properties should be handed over to a local housing association which can be trusted to act responsibly.

“In the longer term, we won’t see robust treatment of rogue landlords and letting agents unless we put resources into enforcement. That means supporting local authorities to do their jobs, instead of squeezing their budgets ever tighter.”

Three other landlords with properties in other parts of Glasgow were also barred from the register on the basis of their criminal convictions.

These landlords were Francis Green, Jamil Ahmed and Graham Mills.

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