A ROGUE landlord who fraudulently received housing benefits for his property in Dudley town centre has been hit with a bill of nearly £3,500.

Latif Rehman, of Lordswood Road, Birmingham, has been ordered to pay the money back to Dudley Council after the local authority successfully made a Rent Repayment Order application to a housing tribunal in response to Rehman’s prosecution for being an unlicensed landlord last year.

Last February, Dudley magistrates landed Rehman with £12,000 of court costs after he pleaded guilty to 14 offences of failing to comply with the Housing Act 2004 in relation to his property at 160 Wolverhampton Street in Dudley.

The additional £3,483 through the tribunal takes the total costs to more than £15,000 and council bosses hope it will act as a stark warning to landlords to ensure they are appropriately licensed and carry out their duties responsibly.

Councillor Gaye Partridge, cabinet member for housing, said: “Private landlords must ensure they are properly licensed and their properties are kept in a good state. If landlords don’t manage properties properly they are putting peoples’ lives at risk and we will not hesitate to take these matters through the courts.

"Following last year’s prosecution we had a responsibility to other borough residents to reclaim housing benefits which had been received illegally and we are pleased with the result of the tribunal.”

The tribunal, held at Birmingham Tribunal Service took into account Rehman’s previous court fines when ordering him to pay the £3,483, which was one third of the total of housing benefit he claimed during the 12 month period prior to his court prosecution last year.