A rogue landlord who left dozens of rented properties across Bristol in a terrible state has had a ban on letting out homes upheld by a court in London in a legal first in Britain.
Naomi Knapp admitted breaking fire safety regulations and leaving the homes she was renting out in a poor condition, and was banned by Bristol City Council from renting out properties last year.
She became the first landlord in Britain to try to get her ban overturned by appealing to the Upper Tribunal, under the 2016 Housing Act - but now her appeal has failed after the tribunal judges agreed this week, that the action taken by the council had been right.
Read next: Rogue Bristol landlord who owned 34 properties receives ban and hefty fine
Bristol Live first reported on the terrible conditions in Naomi Knapp’s properties back in 2021, when council officials successfully took her to court and fined her for the state of three of her homes in Bedminster.
Council housing officers visited the three in Dartmoor Street - just off North Street in Bedminster - St John’s Lane and Wedmore Vale - and found rubbish strewn everywhere, unfinished kitchens, fire safety systems and ventilation and faulty electric showers.
For the long list of breaches of housing standards, Knapp, from East Street in Bedminster, was fined almost £30,000 and agreed to work with the council to improve conditions, but that didn’t work out. In August 2022, the council’s housing team took her to court again, said she had a total of 34 properties that she rented out, and persuaded the court to issue a five-year banning order, forbidding her from being a landlord, and fined her another £20,000.
Knapp was the third rogue landlord to be banned in Bristol under the 2016 Act, but the first to appeal - in fact the first to appeal anywhere in the country.
That appeal was heard by the Upper Tribunal. She appealed on six grounds, but each appeal was dismissed, and she now has six months to sort out arrangements for people living in her properties.
Bristol City Council said now Knapp owns 29 properties across Bristol, and they were concerned about the state of the houses she rents out. “The original tribunal had correctly assessed the seriousness of the offences for which she had been convicted and had also correctly concluded that banning orders were capable of applying to existing tenancies, rather than applying only to the initial act of granting a tenancy,” a council spokesperson said.
The appeal tribunal decided that the original punishment for Knapp was in proportion, and the point of the legislation which gives councils and courts the power to ban people from renting out properties was to root out rogue landlords like Naomi Knapp.
The council’s housing chief is Cllr Tom Renhard. He said the case should be a warning to other rogue landlords in Bristol.
“This is an important case for Bristol City Council, and the first of its kind in the country,” he said. “Having a safe and secure roof over our heads is key to ensuring we all have the best possible opportunity to live a happy and healthy life but, unfortunately, many renters still live in fear of spiralling costs, poor quality housing, and unfair evictions.
“We are working hard to make sure that people living in private rented accommodation have adequate protections and decent living standards. We will take action to crack down on criminal landlords who do not meet the legal requirements for a safe and secure living environment,” he added.
A council spokesperson added that any tenant who rents from Ms Knapp does not need to do anything at this point – the Banning Order does not change a renter’s legal rights and does not necessarily mean they will need to leave their properties. However, if they are concerned about their rights they should contact the council or Citizen’s Advice Bureau for support.
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