A SOCIAL landlord has been ordered to pay £6,000 in fines and costs for failing to carry out repairs in a prosecution brought by Islington Council.
The Peabody Trust admitted failing to comply with two improvement notices issued by the council on homes in Islington. Legal action was taken on behalf of residents after delays to required work at Pemberton Terrace, N19, and Redington House, N1.
Cllr Terry Stacy, Islington Council's Executive Member for Housing, said: "I'm very disappointed this got to this stage.
"Social landlords, including Peabody, do a lot of good work and it's rare for them to be prosecuted.
"But we felt we had to take action because at the end of the day Islington residents were suffering.
"I've written to the Chief Executive of The Peabody Trust and asked to meet him to discuss this case."
In the Pemberton Terrace case, a council Environmental Health officer visited a flat in September 2007 after a complaint from the occupier. Damp patches were found on walls, cupboards and in bedrooms and an improvement notice was served requiring that works were carried out by 7 April 2008. But the required work was not carried out and legal action was begun.
In the Redington House case, a council Environmental Health officer found evidence of damp in a flat in September 2007 after a tenant complaint. The Peabody Trust was served with an improvement notice to carry out a damp-proof survey and tackle the damp by April 2008, but the deadline was not met.
The Peabody Trust admitted two counts of failing to comply with improvement notices under the Housing Act 2004 when they appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 20 January.
It was fined £2,000 for the Pemberton Terrace case, with £2,000 costs, and £1,000 for the Redington House case, with £1,000 costs. With a court surcharge, the total cost came to £6,015.
In mitigation, the court was told that the damp work at Redington House had now been carried out and that a serious review of The Peabody Trust's procedures had been undertaken to put systems in place to ensure a better service to tenants in the future.
Page Last Updated: 12 June 2009