A Coventry landlord has been ordered to repay almost £11,000 rent that was wrongly paid by tenants.
A council investigation found Mrs Parvinjot Nagra failed to licence the property in Cannon Park for a period of eight months and failed in her management of the property.
Mrs Nagra has been ordered to repay rent totalling around £10,982.25 that seven tenants applied for as part of a Rent Repayment Order.
The case is the first of its kind in Coventry.
Councillor Tariq Khan, cabinet member for housing and communities at Coventry City Council, said: “This is a first Rent Repayment Order for an unlicensed landlord. We are working with landlords to raise property standards. The expectation is that both the landlord and the tenant/s play their part in following all correct steps.
“It is not fair for landlords to evade compliance and benefit financially from operating illegally, while the vast majority of landlords are complying.
“This first Rent Repayment Order should serve as a stark warning to the minority of landlords who continue to be unlicensed.
“They face not only prosecution for non-compliance, which if successful will result in a fine and a criminal record, but if convicted, they could also be handed a Rent Repayment Order to hit them in the pocket.”
