A MANAGER of a HMO property in Newport has been fined nearly £15,000 after admitting to a number of failings in court.

Appearing before Gwent Magistrates’ Court in Newport, Robert Evans pleaded guilty to three charges late last week (Friday, January 28).

All three charges relate to the management of a house in multiple occupation (HMO), on Redland Street, in the city centre.

As a result, Mr Evans has been handed a number of fines, which total £14,400.

The 51-year-old, of Cefn Tilla Road, Usk initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later changed his plea to guilty earlier in January.

On that occasion, he admitted to controlling or managing a house in multiple occupation (HMO), without the proper licence to do so - as is required under part two of the Housing Act 2004 - on January 10, 2020.

Evans was also found to have failed to comply with the requirements of a housing notice, under section 235.

He was required to provide necessary documents on January 24, 2020, but was found to have “without reasonable excuse failed to produce documents, namely all requested documents, as required by a notice under section 235 of the Housing Act 2004.”

The third charge saw Evans fail to comply with fire safety requirements.

On January 10, 2020, he was found to have “failed to ensure that any firefighting equipment and fire alarms are maintained in good working order, contrary to section 234 of the Housing Act 2004”.

Ahead of sentencing, Evans was required to supply the court with the last three years’ worth of accounts and tax returns.

His guilty pleas saw the fine lowered from £16,000 to £14,400.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £3,210.25, and a surcharge of £181 to fund victim services.

All told, he is required to pay a balance of £17,791.25.

What is a HMO?

A HMO is a house in multiple occupation.

That is to say, a single house – often a large, converted family home, which has been divided into smaller individual rooms for residents, who share communal areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Though one property, they are home to multiple households, and are managed by one person or company.

In Newport, there are a number of HMOs, which has become a popular redevelopment use for many of the city’s large, Victorian era houses.