Rogue Wolverhampton landlord given court order in landmark case

Private landlord Jaspal Singh Sahota has became the first in the country to be issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order, which will span 10 years.

The ruling was made by Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court, which said it was satisfied he had caused harassment, alarm and distress to his tenants through the poor standards and management of his rented homes.

The case was built around Sahota's properties in Osier Place and Sherwood Street but also considered his management of his other Wolverhampton properties.

As part of the order against him, he must submit to the council a list of all his premises across the city and his interest in them for rental purposes.

Sahota, who lives in Blackpool, has also been told to employ a third-party agent to manage his properties on his behalf. Magistrates told him he must have a suitable managing agent in place by June 1.

If he fails to comply, he will be in breach of the order and could be jailed for up to five years and/or face an unlimited fine.

Lesley Roberts, Wolverhampton Council's housing director, said: "This is an excellent result and shows that we are determined to use whatever legislation we can in order to protect our residents from rogue landlords.

"We are incredibly proud of the work our housing officers do to ensure housing standards are maintained across the board.

"As a council we have a wide package of housing measures in place aimed at improving standards across Wolverhampton and this case illustrates them being put into action."