Landlord fined thousands at Luton court over 'series of failings' including renting an 'unsafe' home to a single parent and child

At a Luton Magistrates’ Court hearing, Marc Scheimann was ordered to pay £4,834 in fines for what Luton Council has described as a ‘series of failings’.

He was found guilty in his absence, of not returning a number of legal notices and not providing evidence of the correct legal documents related to a property he rented out.

Among the failings discussed at court, was the quality of the electrical installations at one of the properties under his umbrella, which the court stated was ‘unsafe’.

Luton Council reports that Scheimann failed to attend proceedings for the third time, even though the court was confident he was fully aware they were taking place.

The decision was made to continue with sentencing without him as all the necessary statements and details of the case were available to the court, the council says.

Despite multiple requests, Scheimann failed to comply with a notice under the Housing Act 2004, the court found.

He didn’t supply the local authority with the documentation it legally required for the property.

This included:

Current electrical installation condition reports Current energy performance certificates Current tenancy agreements

In addition the court was also satisfied that he was served with another notice, requiring ownership details, and also failed to return that as the law required.

A statement read during sentencing, said: “These failures are a serious matter and we find the two offences against Mr Scheimann clearly proved in his absence.

“The tenant involved is a single parent and unsafe electrical installations put her and her child at great risk.

“Mr Scheimann’s omissions are deliberate or intentional and put at risk vulnerable people.”

His fines were broken down as follows:

Fine £2,640 Costs £2,004.00 Victim surcharge £190. TOTAL = £4,834.00

Councillor Tom Shaw said: “As a council we are working hard to ensure tenants can access the quality of rental accommodation they deserve. This cannot be done unless landlords not only provide dwellings that are to a high standard, but that they can produce all the relevant documentation to demonstrate that the safety and welfare of their tenants is at the top of their agenda.

“This was not the case on this occasion and I welcome both the fine and the message the courts have sent out: Luton Council will not tolerate sloppy landlords, who appear to have no interest in their tenants or the law.”