Simon Vivien Bourne, a 49-year-old landlord in the small port town of Boston in Lincolnshire, has been fined after council inspectors uncovered a number of health and safety issues with his properties.
At one residence there was faulty electrical wiring and gas piping, while damp was also present throughout the property after damage from a flood in December 2013 had not been properly rectified.
Council inspectors found that there were no smoke alarms fitted, and a fridge and washing machine were also positioned in the garden and connected to indoor wiring.
Similar problems were also discovered at another of the landlord’s properties.
Boston Magistrates’ Court found Mr Bourne guilty of failing to comply with council-issued improvement notices and he was ordered to pay £8,860 as a result.
However, the landlord avoided being given a penalty for failing to provide information to Boston Council.
Councillor Ben Evans, who was involved with the case, said: “We have a stated mission to improve conditions for people living in properties in the private rented sector, and will take all necessary steps to get landlords to comply with improvements we deem necessary.
“We have been successful in working with landlords and there have been improvements to the benefit of their tenants.
“But where landlords ignore us and then ignore notices we serve which are backed by law there will be consequences.
“This landlord even failed to attend at court, but the case was still dealt with.”