Landlord given suspended sentence over property fires at notorious property

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A commercial landlord whose building was damaged by two fires has been handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence, it has been reported.

Wayne Braund, 52, owner of the former Strachan and Henshaw building in Foundry Lane, Bristol (pictured), admitted six fire safety breaches including failing to risk assess for possible asbestos violations and not ensuring fire extinguishers were in place.

Bristol Crown Court heard that it was fortunate no one was harmed during the blaze in the tower block, known locally as The Office, on 31st December 2018 when a number of people were living there.

Just six months later, another fire damaged the building causing significant structural damage.

It had housed more than 40 small and independent businesses, while the adjacent Office tower was infamous for its swinger’s club, cannabis factory, and as a Hells Angels’ haunt for bikers.

Criminal threats

Brendon Moorhouse, defending, said Braund’s life and that of his family had been threatened by criminals, triggering arrests and a criminal investigation.

In February 2020, Braund was the victim of an attempted blackmail by a gang of masked men at his Douglas Road Estate residential development in Kingswood.

His business associate and landlord, Alan Dykes, was later violently assaulted at his Bridge Road Industrial Estate in Kingswood. Dykes had owned the building before selling it to Braund for £1 in April 2018.

Asbestos fine

Braund was also given a six-month suspended sentence for failing to ensure a risk assessment to determine asbestos on the premises of a property on Moravian Road in Kingswood where his company Stairs2U was headquartered.

Prosecutor Sam Jones said Ernest Braund, acting for Braund, had sent false documentation to the HSE purporting to show that an asbestos contractor had been engaged when it had not been. 

Braund admitted the breach and was ordered to pay £50,000 in costs along with a £25,000 fine. Stairs2U was also given a £25,000 fine.

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BREAKING: Landlords told how they should deal with self-isolating tenants

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The government has clarified the approach landlords and letting agents should take towards self-isolating tenants who are due to move out of a property.

In response to a written question from Labour MP Steve McCabe, Junior Housing Minister Eddie Hughes said it had strongly urged accommodation providers to be flexible in extending tenancies and delaying moves if tenants were isolating due to Covid.

He added: “However, under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) if someone is legally obliged to move, they are allowed to do so even if isolating.”

It follows a BBC news report about students who were due to leave their accommodation when one tested positive meaning that she and three housemates were legally obliged to self-isolate.

Break the rules

With their tenancy agreement coming to an end, they decided to break the rules to move back home as their landlord was going to charge a month’s rent, a 30-day cancellation notice fee and the upkeep of the next tenants – which would have cost thousands.

A government spokeswoman told the BBC that students who are required to self-isolate should seek to delay their move with support from their university.

It added: “We strongly urge accommodation providers and private landlords to come to amicable agreements with students, and to change move dates to ensure students are able to complete their self-isolation periods.”

The National Residential Landlords Association says landlords must respect the required isolation period during which households should not move. A spokesman tells LandlordZONE: “We also encourage landlords to show as much flexibility as possible to support their tenants and help efforts to halt the spread of the virus.”

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85% of tenants are ‘happy with their landlord’ says new report

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The vast majority of private renters in England are satisfied with their accommodation and experience of renting – especially when they deal directly with a landlord.

The English Housing Survey for 2019/20 reports that 83% of private renters were satisfied with their homes and 85% happy with their landlord, a figure that has remained constant over the past 10 years. However, the proportion of satisfied social renters stands at 78%, having fallen from 81% in 2018/19.

The government’s survey also revealed that tenants generally had a more positive experience of renting when dealing directly with a landlord than a letting agent.

Private renters were asked how satisfied they were with the services provided by the landlord or, if they rented through a letting agency, letting agent from first contact to the day they moved into the property.

It found 85% were satisfied where services were provided by their landlord, while 79% said the same where they were provided by a letting agent.

It reports that 75% of private renters are satisfied with the way their landlords carry out repairs and maintenance, the highest figure for about a decade. In contrast, 66% of social renters were satisfied with their landlords’ work, down one percentage point from the previous year. 

National Residential Landlords Association chief executive, Ben Beadle (pictured), says: “The NRLA is mindful of the challenges the private rented sector is confronted with and remains firmly committed to tackling them in a spirit of co-operation between tenants, landlords and government.

“However, today’s figures demonstrate that the vast majority of private renters are satisfied with their accommodation and the service being provided by their landlord. This positive feedback is representative of tenants’ experiences across the private rented sector, and it is through this lens that future changes need to be seen.”

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Have I been scammed into Leasehold?

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I have just purchased a house from an auction and the legal pack said the house was Freehold, even Land Registry right now says the house is Freehold

However, only one day before the auction, the auctioneers put a document in the legal pack saying it has a 999 years Leasehold.

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Selective licensing forces more landlords to use letting agents, council claims

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Peterborough council has claimed that selective licensing schemes compel more landlords to switch from self-managing their properties to using a letting agent.

The claim was made this week at the meeting of a scrutiny committee looking at the success of Peterborough’s large selective licensing scheme which is due to end in October.

A new scheme is to be submitted to the secretary of state for approval, which may include more wards than the original scheme following calls for the scheme to be expanded

So far 6,500 licences have been issued to private landlords and 227 properties inspected but with a further 551 due to be inspected including 180 that the council suspects don’t have licences.

Landlords prosecuted

Peterborough council has also prosecuted 15 landlords for non-compliance with the selective licensing scheme regulations, it was revealed.

Jo Bezant, a prevention and enforcement service manager for housing, told councillors at the meeting that most private landlords the council contacted to chase them up on getting a licence, then applied for a licence.

Bezant added: “It’s gone really, really well. What we’ve found has happened is landlords that didn’t know what they were doing – they had one property or two properties – a lot of those have moved and given their properties to agents so the agents manage them,” the Peterborough Telegraph reports.

“So we’ve seen a rise in professionalism of landlords through the management of the properties. And also a lot of landlords went on and did their own accreditation – so went off and became educated in what they should be doing and their legal responsibilities.”

The main reason for non-compliance was from landlords who did not believe the council would take enforcement action, she added.

Read more about selective licensing.

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