A landlord who let cold, damp properties and some with no working toilet and dangerous electrics must pay more than £12,000 for allowing tenants to live in poor conditions.

Robert Emery of Bull Lane, Higham failed to make improvements to two properties in Chatham and another in Gillingham, ignoring legal notices.

He also continued to let the Gillingham property in Adelaide Road despite the council having served a prohibition order in May, preventing anyone living there due to its poor state.

Two months after the order was served, council officers discovered new tenants living in the property, which had damp in every room. The tenants were placed there by housing agent Hilton Taylor acting on behalf of Emery.

Another of his properties in Coronation Road, Chatham had a damp problem, as well as no heating and the toilet was broken.

The council had first contacted Emery about the poor condition of this property in June 2013. This was followed up with a formal improvement notice but he failed to carry out the necessary work.

A third property in Magpie Hall Road, Chatham had a dangerous electrical system, rising damp, condensation and some windows were lacking restrictors.

"The council will not accept tenants being placed in sub standard and unsafe properties..." - Cllr Howard Doe

Despite the poor conditions, Emery allowed a tenant with two children under the age of five to live there and ignored all council correspondence and an improvement notice.

Emery pleaded guilty to three offences relating to the three properties, but did not appear at Medway Magistrates' Court when the case was heard on Thursday.

Instead, representatives from letting agent Hilton Taylor were in court on his behalf.

Magistrates fined him £8,300 as well as costs of £3,430 and a £350 victim surcharge.

The prosecution by the council’s Private Sector Housing Team was undertaken following a successful bid for government funding to specifically tackle rogue landlords in Medway.

Cllr Howard Doe, in charge of housing, said: “I hope these prosecutions will send out a strong message to landlords and letting agents that the council will not accept tenants being placed in sub standard and unsafe properties.

“We will always try to work with co-operative landlords and support them in running their businesses.

"These cases shows that those who don’t comply will be followed up and if necessary, prosecuted.”

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