The council’s landlord licensing regime was expanded last year in a bid to drive up standards
The case was heard in April earlier this year(Image: Getty Images)
A landlord who pleaded guilty for misleading tenants has still been allowed to have an HMO licence from Bristol City Council.
Last year hundreds of landlords renting out shared houses in Bristol were made to apply for a licence to root out bad practices and drive up standards.
Last April Josefina Velazquez, of Hampton Road in Redland, pleaded guilty to three charges and was ordered to pay £11,000 in fines, after the council investigated complaints.
The landlord misled student tenants, making them pay extra money for their deposits.
Despite the plea, she reportedly still has a house in multiple occupation licence from the council.
Licence holders are subject to a “fit and proper person” test, that is meant to prevent rogue landlords — but that doesn’t appear to include illegally misleading tenants about their deposits.
A pattern of behaviour was uncovered by the council’s investigation, involving two groups of tenants between 2022 and 2024. Councillors on the housing policy committee were urged to revisit the policy and make sure the rules are working as intended.
Green Councillor Christine Townsend said: “This landlord pleaded guilty. The things that this landlord did relate to conditions on the HMO licence. If a guilty plea for an HMO landlord licence holder is not enough to trigger a fit and proper person review test, what would be?”
According to the council, the landlord had begun to refund the money owed to her tenants before legal proceedings began. But one housing boss at the council would not comment on whether the guilty plea would lead to a review of whether the landlord should still hold a licence.
Sonia Furzland, interim executive director for housing, said: “Unfortunately I’m not in a position to answer that. This will be one that I need to take away. On the face of it, the question is quite reasonable. Without knowing the full details of what they pleaded guilty to, it’s difficult for me to offer a review.”
To get a licence, landlords have to fill out a form declaring they are a fit and proper person. This includes confirming that they “do not have any unspent convictions in respect of any offence involving fraud or other dishonesty … and have not had any judgements made against me under housing, public health, environmental health or landlord and tenant law”.
Over a quarter of homes in the city are privately rented, and there have long been widespread concerns about unfair rent and dodgy landlords. A huge expansion of Bristol’s landlord licensing regime was approved by the cabinet in February last year, and came into effect in August. But this case raises pertinent questions about how the expansion has been managed so far.
Cllr Townsend added: “There is guidance that the council will have used to put that policy together. If it’s found that the practices of HMO licence holders are deemed by the chair and committee to be so egregious that the policy doesn’t fit around that, can you call the policy back and tighten it, if you consider the current policy doesn’t serve the public?
“We’re all here to serve the public, and not private landlords.”
The policy is kept under “reasonably frequent review”, according to Green Cllr Barry Parsons, chair of the housing committee. He added: “If there are lessons to be learned from the case, we should make sure that the policy is reviewed in that light.”