Govanhill landlords barred from renting properties

Nine Govanhill landlords have been barred from the landlord register after being found unfit to rent out property.

Following a series of decisions at a meeting of Glasgow City Council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee, all nine landlords now face criminal prosecution and fines of up to £50,000 if they attempt to let their property.

Eight of these landlords own property within the Govanhill’s first Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA), which has allowed council officers to impose higher standards of regulation on all landlords operating within a four block area of south-west Govanhill.

The eight landlords with property within the EEA all failed to provide a range of certification that includes an enhanced criminal record check, buildings insurances, energy performance, gas safety and confirmation that tenants received tenant information packs.

There were also concerns about the condition of two of the properties.

The ninth landlord, whose Govanhill property is out-with the EEA, had his name removed from the register as premises failed to meet the tolerable standard expected for rented homes.

The property had previously been the subject of a closure order due to failings that included faulty electrics, no hot water as well a broken toilet and holes in ceilings and the floor.

All decisions followed submissions to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee by the council’s Private Landlord Registration Unit, which has the responsibility for maintaining the landlord register for the Glasgow City area.

Councillor Mhairi Hunter, Co-Chair of Glasgow City Council’s Govanhill Taskforce, welcomed the decisions by the Licensing and Regulatory Committee as a significant contribution to the wider effort to bring lasting change to Govanhill.

Councillor Hunter said: 'These decisions show the impact the Enhanced Enforcement Area is having in Govanhill. The EEA means the council has the right to demand high standards from landlords working in Govanhill, otherwise they will ultimately be taken to task.'

'But the EEA has also provided a platform for better overall engagement with landlords and that has led directly to a substantial improvement in housing conditions, a big increase in the number of closes being factored and a drop in anti-social behaviour.

'The EEA is now going to be rolled out across a further fourteen blocks in south-west Govanhill and I fully anticipate its initial success will be repeated across the wider area. Along with the multi-million pound acquisition programme and the appointment of a neighbourhood manager for cleansing, the EEA is a major part of our work to deliver lasting change for Govanhill.'

Councillor Alex Wilson, Chair of the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee, added: 'Tenants are entitled to expect their home is safe and secure and their landlord is a fit and proper person to do the job. When we are presented with evidence of landlords failing to live up to the standards expected of them we will take the appropriate action.'

The eight landlords who failed to meet the standards of the Enhanced Enforcement Area are Lawrence Reilly, Usman Ul Haq, Abid Mahmood, ISRA Investments, Abdul Ali, Shazia Akhtar, Abdul Shakoor and Furrukh Saleem.

All had properties within ‘four blocks’ of tenement flats bordered by Calder Street, Westmoreland St, Dixon Avenue and Annette Street.

The ninth Govanhill landlord barred from the Landlord Register was Mohammed Usman, who owns a property of below tolerable standard on Langside Road.

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee also refused an application from Mark Shields to be registered as a landlord for his property in Celtic Street, Maryhill on the basis of his criminal conviction.

All of the tenants within all of the properties affected by these decisions have been advised of their rights.