Landlords and letting agents ‘liable for noisy tenants’

A court has ruled that landlords and letting agents can be held liable for disturbances caused by their tenants and could face fines of up to £20,000.

The case involved home owners at the Sandbanks development at Poole Harbour in Dorset. They complained about noise from a three-storey property which was rented out for stag and hen parties. The parties and the noise often lasted long into the night.

The letting agent, Michele King of Deluxe Holiday Homes, was issued with a noise abatement notice by Poole Borough Council. She appealed saying that she couldn’t be held responsible for disturbances caused by guests because she wasn’t present at the property at the time.

However, District Judge Stephen Nicholls rejected that argument and ruled that she could be subjected to a noise abatement order. Failure to obey such orders could leave landlords and letting agents liable for fines of up to £20,000.

Please contact Santokh Singh if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of commercial property law.