A landlord previously fined £15,000 for failing to comply with selective licencing has received a further £20,000 penalty.

Rudolph Pink, of Clapham Road, London, was fined £15,000 in November for failing to obtain a licence for a property in Sweyn Road in Cliftonville.

He also failed to make a selective licence application for a rented house in Warwick Road, Cliftonville, despite Thanet District Council requests that he comply with the scheme, and was prosecuted by the council on Tuesday.

He did not attend Canterbury Magistrates’ Court and was fined £20,000 in his absence and ordered to pay a contribution of £120 towards the council’s prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £120.

The fine is the largest handed out for a selective licensing offence in Thanet.

In 2011, Thanet District Council designated parts of Cliftonville West and Margate Central as a selective licensing area.

Selective licensing was introduced to help tackle low housing demand and anti-social behaviour and the scheme requires landlords to comply with a range of conditions to ensure good property management.

Cllr Richard Nicholson, cabinet member for housing and planning services, said: “Selective licensing cannot simply be ignored. This fine of £20,000 is the maximum possible for this type of offence and sends out a strong message to those landlords who are continuing to ignore the scheme.

“Officers are actively investigating all addresses in the designated area and will be doing everything they can to ensure 100% compliance with the scheme.”

To find out if a property is within the selective licensing area, visit www.thanet.gov.uk, telephone the council’s housing regeneration team on 01843 577437 or email housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk