A property company has been hit with a bill of almost £9,000 for failing to fix fire and electrical issues at a building in Liverpool containing flats.

Ateres Investments Limited was fined at Liverpool Magistrates Court after it failed to comply with 2 improvement notices served by Liverpool City Council, in relation to a residential property on Lawrence Road in Wavertree.

The court heard that inspections in June 2022 identified various issues, including in relation to fire and electrics. Fire hazards included defective fire doors within the communal areas of the property (pictured above).

Electrics in the communal areas appeared to be obsolete and without any regular testing. There were also uneven flooring and steps within one of the flats, and an absence of thumb-turn locks which would have slowed exit from the building in the event of a fire.

After pleading guilty, the director of the company acknowledged that the notices served by the Council requiring works to be carried out had not been complied with.
 

Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Sarah Doyle, said:- “Landlords have a legal responsibility to make sure their properties are safe for their tenants. It is a basic right to expect a property to have safe wiring and working fire doors, and in this case the property had neither. Ensuring properties are kept in decent condition is the minimum we expect and if management standards fall short, we will take the strongest action. I welcome the fine imposed by the Magistrates Court and hope it also serves as a reminder to other landlords that we will take them to court if they fail to act on improvement notices.”

The Magistrates hearing the case on Thursday, 2 November 2023, imposed a fine of £6,000 plus the Council’s costs of £858.80, and a £2,000 victim surcharge.