Landlord is fined over licence gap

An Edinburgh landlord has been fined £1000 for operating a house in multiple occupation (HMO) without a licence.

Yousef Mohammed, of Moira Terrace, was found guilty of running an unlicensed HMO in September 2009 in the Grange area. He blamed the failure to licence the property on an agent that had subsequently ceased trading, but was found guilty of deliberately attempting to evade the HMO licensing scheme on December 19.

Mr Mohammed had separately been found not “fit and proper” to hold an HMO licence by the city council in a hearing on September 10.

Councillor Rob Munn, convener of the council’s regulatory committee, said: “This landlord has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the HMO licensing scheme which this council finds unacceptable.”

Mr Mohammed told the Evening News he planned to appeal the ruling.