A council has become one of the first local authorities in the region to successfully ban a
landlord from renting out residential properties.
Kamran Adil of Halterburn Close, Gosforth, has been banned from operating as a landlord or managing agent at a lettings agency for two years following a ruling by the First Tier Property Tribunal.
Durham County Council applied for the banning order after Adil repeatedly put vulnerable tenants at risk by failing to ensure minimum housing safety standards. The 54-year-old also failed to comply with the local authority’s Selective Licensing scheme, which gives the council powers to regulate landlords and ensure private-rented properties are maintained to a high standard in 103 areas across County Durham.
Adil’s failure to licence eight rental properties located within selective licensing areas, along with his failure to engage with the council and act on improvement notices served, resulted in the local authority taking him to court twice, in 2023 and 2024 respectively. As a result of these prosecutions, Adil was found guilty of a total of 14 offences under the Housing Act 2004 and fined £63,000, plus costs and charges.
Following the most recent conviction at Peterlee Magistrates Court in December 2024, the council served a Notice of Intent to seek the banning order. No representations were received from Adil, and he did not engage with the tribunal process.
In a decision notice approving the council’s application for the order, Tribunal Judge Brown concluded that Adil had “persistently failed” to comply with statutory requirements for housing management. He added: “We found that the serious sanction of a banning order is required to deter reoffending and ensure statutory and regulatory compliance and that it is a just and proportionate punishment, taking into account the need also to deter others from similar behaviour.”
Cllr Joe Quinn, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for planning, investments and assets, said: “Our Selective Licensing scheme exists to ensure accommodation in County Durham is safe and well-managed, and to protect private sector tenants from landlords who ignore their duties.
“It’s about holding criminal landlords to account, while also creating a fairer industry for landlords who care about their tenants and their responsibilities.
“Applying for a banning order was not a decision we took lightly but it reflects just how serious Kamran Adil’s offences are. We hope this serves as a stark warning to other landlords and letting agents of what can happen if they fail to manage their properties to the standards required. And while this is a last resort, we won’t hesitate to take such action again if needed.”
Investigations undertaken by Durham County Council ahead of the tribunal found that while Adil had sold 11 of his rental properties, he had retained 15, including two that are occupied. The council will manage the occupied properties for the duration of the ban.
Since launching the Selective Licensing scheme in 2022, the council has received more than 17,000 applications and has granted more than 16,500 licences. Other key actions include:
- More than 5,500 property inspections conducted
- Improvements carried out at more than 1,750 properties to remove health hazards
- More than 150 improvement notices served
- Seven prohibition orders served to prevent a property from being rented out where serious hazards were identified
- Emergency repairs caried out by the council at four properties where there was an imminent risk to the tenants, with the landlords then billed for the works
- More than 150 civil penalties served for failure to licence or comply with improvement notices. Money raised from civil penalties is reinvested into private sector enforcement
- Six criminal prosecutions covering 20 properties
To find out more about the Selective Licensing scheme, visit www.durham.gov.uk/selectivelicensing.
