Letting agency fined for renting out flat 'with serious safety hazards'

COMPANY IS SLAPPED WITH £14,000 COURT BILL AFTER ADMITTING ITS GUILT

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

A DERBY letting agency has been fined £14,000 for "endangering vulnerable tenants".

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court was told how an inspection at an Osmaston Road flat "uncovered significant safety hazards, including a compromised flat roof, and risks of structural collapse", the city council has said.

Despite this and against an order, Normanton Road-based firm Steadwall Properties Ltd still rented it out.

The hearing was told how the property, located above a pharmacy, had been made the subject of a prohibition order in August 2023.

The property had been converted into two flats, but the building work had not been certified. Tenants living there at the time were rehoused by Derby Homes.