Feb

Scotland’s worst landlord is jailed for two years after ignoring regulations and fines

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Repeat offender Mohammed Murtaza had been refused registration and fined 12,000 but continued to rent out multiple properties in Fife despite warnings.

A rogue landlord who previously made legal
history for being the first person to be banned from renting out homes in
Scotland has been jailed for failing to pay a £12,000 fine.

Mohammed Murtaza starts a two-year prison
sentence after receiving the fine in January 2019 for admitting illegally
renting out properties in Fife.

Two years before that he had been subject to
the first ever disqualification order granted by a Scottish court for breaching
anti-social behaviour legislation and by continuing as a landlord after his
registration was refused.

Murtaza was shocked by the sentence when he appeared
in the dock at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court this week for a confiscation hearing, when
prosecutors aimed to seize earnings he is alleged to have made from his crimes.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC told Murtaza: “You
have made no effort to pay the fines. It must be said that the fines were set
at that level because of the repeated offending, not only on this complaint but
you have previous convictions for doing the same thing.”

A 12-month order had been made against Murtaza
in May 2017 after he had let properties in Valley Gardens, Dunnikier Road and
Kennedy Crescent, Kirkcaldy (pictured), despite being refused a listing on Fife
Council’s landlord register.

Murtaza had also been refused registration in
June 2015, after conviction for failing to comply with duties under anti-social
behaviour legislation and for breaching gas safety legislation.

The disqualification order made it a criminal
offence for him to rent out residential property in the region. However, Murtaza
went on to let out two properties in Kirkcaldy later in 2017.

When Sheriff Gilchrist fined Murtaza last year,
he said the unregistered landlord had £70,000 equity on his two properties and
was clearly able to pay a substantial penalty. He was given six months to pay
and banned from registering as a landlord for a further four years.

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