A landlord in Surrey has been fined £5,000 following enforcement action by Tandridge District Council over multiple safety violations at a rental property in Lingfield.
Ashraf Talukder was issued with financial penalties totalling £5,000 after council officers identified serious hazards at a flat above commercial premises at 64 High Street, Lingfield, which was occupied by three tenants at the time of inspection.
Safety violations identified
The council’s inspection uncovered multiple breaches including defective electrical installations, inadequate fire safety measures, windows that either could not be opened or lacked proper restrictors, and the absence of a fully functioning kitchen.
According to the council, the landlord failed to engage with the investigation, prompting the authority to serve an improvement notice in October 2025. A subsequent follow-up inspection found that whilst some remedial work had been completed, several issues remained unresolved.
Financial penalties imposed
Tandridge District Council imposed a £3,000 penalty for non-compliance with the improvement notice. An additional £2,000 fine was levied for letting the property without a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which the council identified as a separate offence during its investigation.
The enforcement action comes amid increasing financial pressures across the property sector, with councils intensifying scrutiny of rental property standards. The case follows recent enforcement action against property professionals who fail to meet regulatory requirements.
Councillor Deb Shiner, Chair of Community Services at Tandridge District Council, stated: “We work with landlords to help them understand and meet their legal responsibilities, but where serious hazards are identified, and improvement notices are ignored, we will take formal enforcement action. This case demonstrates our commitment to protecting residents from unsafe housing and holding landlords to account.”
Implications for landlords
The case highlights the financial and legal risks facing landlords who fail to maintain rental properties to required standards. Local authorities retain powers to issue improvement notices and financial penalties for breaches of housing regulations, with non-compliance potentially resulting in cumulative fines.
The requirement for valid EPCs has been mandatory for rental properties since 2008, with minimum energy efficiency standards introduced in subsequent years. Landlords letting properties without valid certificates face penalties of up to £5,000 per property.